COPAK and Virunga Enzymes celebrate their 10th anniversary in Beni, North Kivu. Founded in 2015, COPAK has grown into an international reference in the cultivation, processing, and export of high-value Congolese agricultural products. VIRUNGA ENZYMES — a partnership between the Virunga Foundation, papain collectors, and Natix (Floridienne) — has become the world’s largest producer of raw papain.

“In 2015,” recalls Dimitri Moreels, founder of COPAK, “we began with cocoa and medicinal plants, later adding chia and vanilla. Our goal was to create sustainable jobs and protect biodiversity. We built strong partnerships with local communities, trained farmers to produce premium crops for global markets, and promoted multicropping to increase value, reduce income dependence, and protect the environment.”

Since 2021, COPAK has been part of Envirium Life Sciences Group, benefiting from broader commercial synergies. The company now employs over 100 people in Beni and Mutwanga, collaborates with more than 10,000 certified farming families, and has exported over 6,000 tons of natural products under Cacao-Trace, Organic, Rainforest Alliance, and Fairtrade certifications.

COPAK has invested in farmer training, built five cocoa fermentation centers, and contributed to community projects such as road construction. It also partners closely with national parks — including Virunga National Park — and co-develops the Mutwanga Industrial Zone with the Virunga Foundation. Looking ahead, COPAK aims to expand across local and African markets, applying its sustainable production techniques to regional distribution.

‘’The papain production was born here in Beni in 1964, when a Belgian, Roger Boudart, observed the traditional use of papaya leaves to tenderize meat. Recognizing the plant’s scientific and economic potential, he developed a method to purify papaya latex into a stable, high-quality papain powder suitable for the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Beni became the cradle of a globally recognized industry. Today, we are proud to continue expanding this value chain, investing in traceability tools, plantation monitoring, advanced processing technology and farmer support to meet growing demand and uphold Congo’s leadership in the sector,” says Christian Van Osselaer (founder of Virunga Enzymes).