TANZANIA PEABERRY COFFEE

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The Hasambo Amco Cooperative is made up of 400 registered and 700 nonregistered small holder producers growing coffee on 500 hectares of prime coffee land located in Southern Tanzania.

The Cooperative was first registered in 1993 as a subgroup of the Mbozi Cooperative Union (MBOCU) – one of the oldest in Tanzania; however, struck out on its own to operate independently in 2002.  Since then, it has grown to become one of the most respected cooperatives in the country winning the number 1 ranking at the Taste of Harvest Competition for Tanzania in 2004.

Factors contributing to its high rating include sustainable cultivating practices employed by its farmers which consist of organic fertilizers such as compost and manure to ensure great soil fertility. They also engage in good agricultural practices such as dual cropping for biodiversity and for shade growing purposes.

Another contributing factor to the high quality of its coffee is the strict quality control standards employed for all cherries delivered to their washing stations/wet mills.  Cherries must be selectively hand-picked and delivered to the washing stations/wet mills within 8 hours of harvest which falls between June and August months. Most farms are located near the mill, with the closest being only 300 meters away and the furthest 10 kilometers away. In order to ensure that the coffee arrives at the mill in a timely fashion, the Cooperative has developed a shunting/ transportation system to collect coffee from all farmers who are either far from the wet mill or produce large volumes. Hasambo hires cars and motorbikes which visit farmers who have notified leaders in advance that they are harvesting that day. A secretary is appointed during the harvest season to arrange all logistics, and this system has enabled the Cooperative to have more control over the quality of the cherry and pulped coffee that arrives at the mill. In validation of all their efforts on quality, their coffee routinely score an 80+ in cupping sessions.