Tanzania-Mwika North

The Mwika North Farmer Group was established in 1984 as a cooperative and as a member of the larger Kilimanjaro Native Co-operative Union (KNCU) the very first cooperative in Tanzania. The KNCU was established in 1925, shortly after the arrival of coffee in Tanzania. In 2004, Mwika North became one of the first organic certified producer groups in the Kilimanjaro region. The producers still take pride in following organic farming standards, and this coffee has EU Organic certification status (though not U.S.). Coffee remains an important cash crop for farmers in the Lelo village and its surroundings, and in 2015 the group commissioned a CPU (central processing unit), which it expects will help it to increase its production yields.