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Tanzania

Bright, sweet, and winey, Tanzanian coffee stands out with its pronounced sugary notes. What makes it truly unique is the landscape: wildlife corridors let buffalos and elephants roam freely on Rainforest Alliance certified farms. The trade can be tricky, but the exceptional coffee and the stories behind them are worth every effort.

These coffees are not just about exceptional taste; they represent a commitment to sustainability and biodiversity. Producers seeking direct trade are hard-working organisations and farms who need support to pay fair wages and afford expensive inputs, two items often required by certification bodies. By choosing Tanzanian coffee, you contribute to forest preservation, wildlife protection, and better working conditions for rural communities.

Verified
Sellers
from

Tanzania

Discover the right supplier for your roastery, from innovative farmers and independent exporters to certified cooperatives. Volume lots, micro-lots, blends or single varieties... You'll find what you're looking for.

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Glenmalure Farm

Single Farm, Mill, Exporter
Rainforest Alliance

Glenmalure is a small specialty coffee farm near Ngila Estate Ltd in Northern Tanzania. We sit on...

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Northern Highlands Coffee Company Limited

Mill

A beautiful region with a rich heritage, Tarime produces one of the world's finest and rarest...

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Edelweiss Oldeani Estate & Finagro Plantations Ltd

Single Farm, Mill, Exporter
Rainforest Alliance

Two farms on the slopes of the Ngorongoro Crater. (Two wildly different flavours of coffee.) One...

Coffee
production
in
Tanzania

The history of coffee production in Tanzania is full of ups and downs. In January 2018, the government banned all direct export licenses, revoked trading licenses, and forbade private investors from providing extension services and credit. Small farmers were forced to form Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) and sell their coffee via the old auction system. This abrupt change aimed to keep farmers more involved in the sale process and reduce the influence of private companies, but it backfired, causing chaos in the industry.

For decades, Tanzanian coffee had been sold at auction in the town of Moshi every Thursday. Larger estates could bypass the system by holding direct exporting licences. The 2018 ban changed everything, forcing smallholders to form AMCOS as required by the new regulations and process their coffee without proper infrastructure. Estates, with more resources, started buying their own coffee at auction to maintain traceability, but smallholders couldn't compete. This led to broken partnerships and the withdrawal of private exporters and roasters from Tanzania, leaving farmers scrambling for buyers.

Fleeing
buyers
and
other
concerns

The sudden regulatory changes left Tanzanian coffee farmers in a tough spot. With private companies pulling out, farmers lost access to low-interest loans and deals on inputs. Then, futures prices plummeted and many farmers fell into debt. The government relaxed the bans in January 2019, but the damage was done. Years of hard work were lost, and many private companies hesitated to return. Despite this, some estates in the North and farmer groups in the South managed to survive and adapt.

Farmers in Tanzania, like Vera Stücker at Ngila Estate, have shown remarkable resilience. She continues to invest in her staff, improving working conditions, housing, water supplies, and wages. However, the challenges are significant. Farmers need more financial support and better infrastructure to process their coffee. The industry's survival depends on younger generations getting involved and understanding coffee. There is also a need to adapt to climate change, which has introduced new threats and erratic rainfall patterns.

The
“wildest”
coffee
on
earth

Tanzanian coffee is known for its bright acidity and fruity flavours, similar to Kenyan coffee. Traditionally, most of it is Fully Washed, but estates like Ngila are experimenting with new processing methods. Vera produces a Yellow or Golden Honey, which involves pulping the cherries without water and drying them on raised beds. She’s also experimenting with Naturals and barrel fermentations. These methods, though labour-intensive, result in much sweeter and fruitier flavours. The estate's commitment to sustainable practices, like avoiding pesticides, enhances the coffee's quality and environmental impact.

Tanzania's coffee-growing regions, like the Ngorongoro Highlands, are home to rich wildlife and stunning landscapes. Coffee trees thrive in volcanic soil, coexisting with elephants, wild boars, and baboons. This unique environment adds to the appeal of Tanzanian coffee, often referred to as the "wildest" on earth. Despite the challenges, Tanzanian estates have consistently produced good coffee, making them a reliable source of specialty and traceable coffee. The combination of unique flavours, sustainable practices, and the country's natural beauty makes Tanzanian coffee well worth exploring.

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coffee
you
love?

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