Tanzania Organic Kilimanjaro AA/AB 2024

Tanzania Kilimanjaro Organic AA/AB

Smallholders in four Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) based along the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro work together to preserve the legacy of organic coffee farming in Tanzania. The rich volcanic soil and ideal climate around Kilimanjaro, where Tanzania green coffee historically made a name for itself, allows farmers to cultivate Arabica coffee on their smallholder farms without the need for non-organic inputs.

The farmers are motivated by sustainable agriculture strategies, particularly indigenous methods, and employ organic farming as a means for conserving the cultural way coffee was historically produced in Tanzania. The farms range from 1540 to 1800masl and benefit from the volcanic soil of Mount Kilimanjaro. Collectively, the four AMCOS can produce up to 80 metric tons of organic green coffee every year.

Washed Process Green Coffee in Tanzania

Most farmers hand-pick and deliver ripe cherries to the Coffee Processing Unit (CPU), where AMCOS workers carefully record lots for traceability. Pulping is completed the day the cherries are harvested, and the coffee beans ferment in tanks for up to 72 hours. The raw coffee is then washed and sorted by density via channels controlled by wooden shunts. As the beans travel through the channels repeatedly, lighter, lower quality beans that float are removed from the batch. The washed coffee is sun-dried on raised beds for up to 14 days.

Tanzania Coffee Quality Grading

Tanzania employs its own grading system, which shares similarities with the one used in Kenya, that factors in species, bean size, density, processing method, and cup characteristics. The scale ranges from AA (screen sizes 17 & 18, AB (15 & 16), C (14 & 15), and PB for peaberry – a highly coveted classification for Tanzania green coffee beans.

Tanzanian Green Coffee Bean Production

Tanzania has all of the potential in the world. It is one of the largest countries in Africa by area, and its annual Arabica production rivals its better-known neighbor, Kenya. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) predicts that Tanzania’s green coffee production will grow at one of the world’s fastest rates, but supply chain complexity could slow things down. Learn more in our Tanzanian Green Coffee Origin Report.