Maison Soleil’s first partner already carries a promise of warmth in its name. In the Cavally loop, in the heart of western Côte d’Ivoire, robusta is not a second-class variety: it is a coffee of character, deep and resilient.
The cooperative
Soleil du Cavally was founded in 2015 in the Man region, in western Côte d’Ivoire. It brings together 210 producers around a simple project: proving that a robusta grown, dried and roasted with care can rival the most celebrated arabicas.
Since its creation, the cooperative has been led by Jean-Baptiste Kouassi, a former technician with Côte d’Ivoire’s Conseil Café-Cacao. His technical expertise and local network enabled Soleil du Cavally to build stable, quality production year after year. He is the person Camille Vasseur, our Head of Sourcing, knew from her trading years in Antwerp; it was around that connection that the Maison Soleil project began to take shape.
The terroir
- Region : Cavally loop, Man area, western Côte d’Ivoire
- Altitude : 400 to 600 m (lowland robusta)
- Variety : robusta, improved Guéhiébly clone
- Process : natural, dried on raised African beds
- Number of producers : 210
Unlike high-altitude arabicas, robusta thrives on warm land and more modest altitudes. The Cavally loop, with its humid climate and fertile soils, suits it perfectly. The Guéhiéblyclone, developed locally, offers a good balance of yield, disease resistance and aromatic potential.
The coffee’s journey
The harvest runs from October to March. The cherries are picked, sorted, then spread on raised African beds for controlled natural drying. This natural process amplifies the body and woody notes of the robusta, while softening the bitterness sometimes unfairly associated with this variety.
The coffee then travels by road to the port of Abidjan, then by cargo ship to Marseille. Thomas Reinach gives it a dark roast : slow and progressive, to develop the bitter cocoa and cedar wood aromas without burning the bean’s oils.
Our partnership
Soleil du Cavally is Maison Soleil’s founding partner. The contract was signed in April 2021, the very month Sunshine Corp was created. It was a bold choice: launching a specialty coffee brand with a robusta from Côte d’Ivoire was far from consensual. But the quality of the lot and the strength of the relationship won people over.
This partnership also proved its strategic value in 2023-2024, when the El Niño-driven Robusta crisis sent world prices soaring. Our floor-price contract, indexed to 2021 + 30%, allowed us to secure volumes while many spot-dependent buyers faced shortages.
- Partner since : April 2021
- 2025 volume : 30 tonnes/year (the largest volume among our five partners)
- Main use : single origin Côte d’Ivoire — Soleil du Cavally and robusta base of the blend Corsé du Vieux Port
In the cup
The Côte d’Ivoire — Soleil du Cavally is a coffee of character, made for espresso and moka pot. It offers dense body, generous crema and well-managed bitterness.
- Tasting notes : bitter cocoa, cedar wood, blond tobacco
- Intensity : 8 / 10
- Roast : dark
- Certification : direct trade
- Available formats : 250 g and 1 kg (whole bean and ground)
This is the coffee for those who like a frank wake-up call and a cup that stands tall.