Mwika North PB 2020

Description

Mwika is a town, referred to by locals as one of the ‘gateways’ to Kilimanjaro. Coffee was brought to Tanzania by Germans to a place called Kaleme Church in 1835. At this time a man named Zebadoya was rewarded for his service to the Church with a charter to plant coffee, which he brought back to his home in Mwika. While he was technically the only one ‘allowed’ to plant in this area, coffee started sprouting up in the gardens of his friends, family and neighbors. In the 1900’s, the population increased, providing more labor to help with bigger harvests. These workers took cherry back to their homes and planted as well, furthering the spread of coffee to Kilimanjaro.

Mwika was the first AMCOS to split from the Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (KNCU) during its fall. Payments were slow, transparency was lacking and farmers were mad – in 2012 those from Mwika petitioned the government to intervene, and were allowed to form their own group. Three groups, in fact; Mwika North is the highest altitude of the three, and due to the location of their storehouse, they consider themselves the original. They received training from the TNS-backed Kilicafe project, collected 40 tonnes parchment in their first year as independents, and even built their own CPU (washing station).

We’re excited about Mwika North because it is their time to shine again. The past ten years have been tough. Support from Kilicafe ended, and with it, sales to specialty customers like Starbucks. Their CPU only operated one time – the cost of gas so high up mountain was simply too much. And so, despite all of their capacity and potential, Mwika North sits untouched like a diamond in the rough.

Until now. In January 2020 Mwika processed cherry through it’s CPU, reopened against odds due to strong leadership and partnerships throughout the value-chain. The result was a sweeter, juicier cup with more controlled drying, and a whole new standard on what good can taste like in Tanzania.