Tanzania Ilomba Best AMCOS

Producer Ilomba Best AMCOS
Farms Various small holder farms
CPU Ilomba Factory
Subregion Mbozi
Town Songwe

Sun Exposure Mixed; intercropping and shaded subsistence farming and direct sun
Farm Size 1-2ha small holder farms
Altitude 1700+ masl
Latitude -8.316761
Longitude 32.710079

Variety Kent, Bourbon, Typica
Process Fully Washed
Fermentation Submerged, 12-20hrs
Drying 14-20 days on raised beds

Flavor Milk Chocolate, Caramel, Green Melon, Plum, Black Cherry, Underlying Florals
Descriptors Sweet, sugary, clean, creamy

About this coffee Ilomba Best AMCOS is an Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society, which originally was founded in 1997 as a farmer group. The group registered as a cooperative union in 2006 and is now considered an AMCOS. In 2007 AMCOS built the Ilomba Factory on the steep slopes of the South Western highlands in Mbeya, which serves as the local central processing station and wet mill for local producers to deliver their cherry.

Coffee cherries delivered to the Ilomba Factory are first visually sorted before being pulped and moved to the fermentation tanks. The coffee is submerged in water for 12 hours; both to break down the remaining mucilage, and additionally to help develop intrinsic qualities, before being washed clean and moved to raised beds to dry. The coffee is raked on the raised drying beds for 14-20 days and stored in parchment, ready to be moved to the dry mill.

We partnered with Sucafina Tanzania and COTACOF for the sourcing of this coffee. Sucafina and COTACOF invest in improving the lives of smallholder farmers and their coffees through a variety of initiatives. From training and helping obtain more RFA certifications, introducing Natural/Dry processing to the producers at two Coops they work with in the south, to more immediate infrastructure like fermentation tanks and raised beds. Their belief in the potential of quality coffees and their support for showcasing producers who are focused on quality is a part of the reason we continue to buy from them and their projects in Tanzania.

Regulations in the agricultural sector of Tanzania have recently slowed the investment in coffee. Due to the changes to purchasing guidelines and the restrictions or changes in regulations, this can lead to uncertainty that can make the benefits of investing in farmers and cooperative societies more unpredictable. However, because of the outstanding qualities we’ve received from Sucafina and COTACOF and recognizing their continued investment into the country, we are incredibly proud to partner with them and are confident the lives of coffee farmers will continue to improve in Tanzania. This is the first year they have offered single lot coffee from Ilomba Factory after we inquired into alternative lots to buy alongside their Korongo project. We currently source a combined total of 150x 60kg bags from Tanzania.