About This Coffee
Chanya washing station is one of the 19 washing stations managed by Misuku Primary Cooperative Society (PCS). Misuku PCS is one of the six primary cooperatives that compose Mzuzu Coffee Planters’ Cooperative Union (CPSU). In total, more than 2,600 farmers contribute to, own and democratically govern Mzuzu CPSU. 83 of those member farmers deliver cherry to Chanya station.
Chanya station, Misuku PCS and Mzuzu CPSU are working in concert to ensure that every smallholder family can have access to safe, secure living conditions, food security and access to good quality education.
Cultivation
Members in all the Mzuzu primary cooperatives receive training and support to transition to a holistic intercropped system. Farmers utilize shade trees and nitrogen-fixing ground cover to protect and nourish coffee trees. They produce and apply homemade, organic fertilizers that help them maintain soil health on their farms for posterity.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Members selectively hand pick only ripe cherry. Then, the hand their cherry over to employees at Chanya, who handle it with the same care as the farmers. By maintaining quality through Best Agricultural Practices, selective harvesting and exacting processing, members of Misuku PCS preserve and highlight the best characteristics of their coffee.
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.