About This Coffee
Mzuzu Coffee Planters Cooperative Union (MZCPCU) is a union of six cooperatives, representing 3,000 smallholder farmers across Northern and Central Malawi. Since the 1940s, these farmers have cultivated coffee with dedication, growing varieties such as Geisha, Nyika, and Catimor at altitudes between 1,100 and 2,000 meters. Mzuzu coffee is renowned for its sweetness, vibrant acidity, and round body, qualities that stem from its high-altitude growth and traditional practices.
Cultivation
The coffee-growing regions under MZCPCU span diverse areas, including Misuku, Phoka, Viphya, and Nkhatabay Highlands, each contributing unique terroir characteristics. Farmers work small plots, typically averaging 0.5 hectares, and practice sustainable, low-input farming with minimal chemical use. Coffee plants grow under shade from banana and native trees, supporting a healthy ecosystem. To empower and uplift its farmers, MZCPCU aims to provide its members with decent living conditions, food security, and education for their children.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
The harvest season for Mzuzu coffee runs from May to October. Farmers adhere to careful handpicking, selecting only ripe cherries. Coffee cherries are wet-processed at eco-friendly facilities, and the beans are then sun-dried on raised beds under strict quality monitoring. Mzuzu’s dedication to sustainable practices and quality control is reflected in its certification history, including Fairtrade and high quality coffee lots. Through these efforts, MZCPCU supports long-term community development and economic resilience for its members.
About Nyika (Cat129)
Cat129, sometimes referred to as Nyika in Malawi, is a coffee variety developed from a Catimor line originating in Colombia, combining the Caturra and Timor Hybrid 1343 strains. Introduced to Africa during the 1970s through Kenya, Cat129 later arrived in Malawi in the 1990s. It was selected by the Coffee Research Unit at the Tea Research Foundation for release as an official variety in 2006, chosen particularly for its high yield and natural resistance to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease (CBD).
The variety’s introduction in Malawi was part of a European Union-funded project aimed at revitalizing smallholder coffee farms. This initiative focused on replacing older coffee types, such as Agaro and Geisha, with more productive Catimor varieties that could combat both coffee leaf rust and CBD without relying heavily on costly fungicides. Out of the five Catimor strains tested, only Cat129 displayed any resistance to CBD. For additional history on the Catimor coffee varieties, refer to source T8667.
Source: World Coffee Research
Coffee in Malawi
Coffee was first introduced to British-held Malawi by missionaries during the 1880s. During this time, commercial growing areas were mainly concentrated in Thyolo and Mulanje, in the South. Unlike in other East African colonies, coffee never quite took off in Malawi. Various factors, including the success of tobacco farming in the country, prevented the crop from becoming the mainstay that it was in its neighbours to the North, Tanzania and Kenya. It wasn’t until much later, post-independence, that the potential was seen.
Even today, coffee production in Malawi remains low. But what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The landlocked country produces some lovely lots. Malawi neighbours Mozambique to its east and south, Zambia to its west and Tanzania to its north. The Mulanje Massif runs through the south of the country, which provides the river network with most of its water. Another important water source is Lake Malawi. In all, the country has all it needs to produce some exceptional coffee.