About This Coffee
Lunji Estates is a family owned and operated coffee plantation located in Songwe, Mbeya in Tanzania. Clemens Maier and Thomas Plattner bought the farm in 1994 and the Maier family continue to operate the farm today. The farm sits at 1,600 to 1,700 meters above sea level in the mountains in western Mbeya. They cultivate Bourbon, SL28 and SL34.
Cultivation
SL28 and SL34 originated in Kenya, where they were created by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. Due to their popularity and high quality potential, SL varieties have also been grown elsewhere, including in Tanzania.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked by hired laborers. Cherry is visually sorted and whole cherry is placed in Ecotact bags. Bags are sealed and cherry is left to ferment anaerobically for 7 days. Following fermentation, cherry is removed from the bags and placed on raised beds to sundry. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 11 days for cherry to dry.
Coffee in Tanzania
Coffee’s roots in Tanzania can be traced via oral history back to the Haya tribe of Northwest Tanzania in the 16th century. Following German and then British colonial rule, the Tanzanian coffee industry has undergone many transformations and adjustments in an effort to create the most equal, profitable and high-quality coffee possible. Today, our in-country partner, Sucafina Tanzania, is invested in improving the coffee and the lives of smallholder farmers through a variety of initiatives.
Coffee in Tanzania was grown almost exclusively in the North for a long time. The Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Tarime, Kagera, Kigoma and Karatu/Ngorongoro regions were prized for their ideal Arabica growing conditions. At the time, coffee production was so concentrated in the north that Moshi, a northern municipality, was the only hub for all coffee milling and sales.
Operations in Moshi grew to truly massive proportions in the 1950s and early-1960s. Since both Tanzania, Kenya and Burundi were under British rule in the post-war decades, Moshi was the second milling and sales hub (after Nairobi, Kenya) for British coffee production.
Coffee cultivation has extended southwards in recent years. In addition to the historical powerhouse regions in the north, coffee is now also grown in the southern regions of Ruvuma and Mbeya/Mbozi. Most Southern expansion of coffee growing occurred in the 1970s and 1980s and was encouraged by two projects supported by European backers. In an ironic twist, today 75 to 85% of total coffee production in Tanzania today comes from farms in the south.