John Buchugwazi is one of the leaders of the co-op.

He says the co-op has shown its members how to get better yields and improve quality.

Coffee growers also needed better access to markets. Smugglers were taking most of the coffee from the area at night across Lake Kivu to Rwanda. Many of the smugglers drowned in the sudden storms that develop on the lake.

With the co-op, there are trucks that take the coffee to Sopacdi's own washing station. There a machine depulps the coffee berries that contain the beans -- in other words, removes the outer flesh. Doing this process by hand takes a long time and can mean a loss of freshness.

About one hundred sixty people work at the washing station. Many were fighters.

This former rebel says he is very happy with his new job. He now spends his nights in a house, instead of sleeping in the forest.

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