Coffee and sustainability in the foothills of Kilimanjaro

Posted on 7 March 2011

Before I arrived in Moshi, Tanzania, I had never even seen a coffee shrub before. In fact, before I won a trip to climb Kilimanjaro, to raise awareness about climate change and how it is affecting coffee farmers at the base of the mountain, I’d never even given a second thought to how coffee grew, or how it was harvested, ground, fermented or sold.

But that all changed after I visited Kahawa Shamba the day before the epic climb began, and went on a coffee tour at the base of the often ‘shy’, clouded-over iconic mountain. At Kahawa Shamba, which means “coffee farm” in Swahili, I was shown exactly how the coffee shrubs grow, and how they are picked, crushed, fermented, strained and ground, by hand, with a large pestle and mortar.

Our guide, Mike, also educated us about other plants in the area, like lantana, which although it is an invasive weed in South Africa, has many uses in Tanzania including chewing the fragrant leaves as a breath freshener. Mike also showed us other types of plants that can be grown in lines as makeshift fences, and can be folded in a certain way and given to an offended friend to ask for forgiveness.

In the area we visited however, growing coffee shrubs seemed to be the most important activity in this particular independent farming community, who are members of the Kilimanjaro Native Co-Operative Union (KNCU). These small-holder farmers form part of 68 primary co-op societies that ensure that all coffee is grown sustainably, along with other plants like yams and banana trees, which all grow in descending order of size in a kind of nursery plant formation.

Mike explained that this type of farming is important because the plants grow in a more natural way, each helping to provide the other with shade and presumably, a mutually beneficial exchange of nutrients. Some of the farms are also certified organic, and use only natural pesticides to fight off invading slugs and bugs, like the concoction the farmers make from harvesting cow urine.

This type of environmentally conscious farming is also said to yield better tasting coffee, and is a more environmentally friendly way to farm as opposed to mass-scale plantation farming which takes place on deforested land. This co-operative system of farming, besides the obvious sustainable benefits, also guarantees a better price for the farmers’ produce, as all coffee is sold at Fair Trade rates.

These sustainably grown KNCU beans are also not only exported all over the world for the benefit of coffee connoisseurs, but are also packaged and sold at Union Café in Moshi, the public point-of-contact with KNCU in the town. Here you can drink a cappuccino on the wrap-around stoep, eat wood-fired pizza or admire the renovated original building, which includes walls decorated with vintage light fittings and salvaged oil portraits of previous co-operative leaders.

Unfortunately, a lot has changed since the founder Sir Charles Dundas’ portrait was painted after he founded KNCU in 1933. Today, climate change is affecting many aspects of coffee farming, including water availability from mountain streams as the glaciers on the famous Kibo Peak on Kilimanjaro continue to retreat. An increase in temperature has also been blamed for lower annual yields, and coffee bean diseases like CBD, or Coffee Berry Disease.

However, despite these challenges, the farmers continue to grow and harvest coffee, and live in a way that is more environmentally friendly than my own. Even this brief exposure to self-sustaining living has made me think differently about my own life, and has provided even more encouragement to grow my own vegetables, and to be thankful for the resources I often take for granted.

How to get there

I flew to Nairobi on Kenya Airways and then connected to Kilimanjaro on Precision Air. Flights also connect to Tanzania via Zanzibar on 1time airlines.

Based on a search for a return flight within the next two weeks, the price of a flight from Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro on Kenya Airways (with stops and connecting flights) is about $2,200, so about R15 000, including tax.

Another option is to fly from Johannesburg to Zanzibar on 1time, which will cost about R4000 for a return flight. You can then connect from Zanzibar to the mainland via one of Tanzania’s domestic airlines, such as Precision Air, which flies to several local destinations, but doesn’t currently have any info on the Zanzibar-Kilimanjaro schedule.

Union Café is in the town of Moshi, about 45 minutes from the Kilimanjaro International Airport. You can organise a coffee tour at Kahawa Shamba at Union Café at Plot 33-34 on Old Moshi/Kibo Road, where the tour begins.

Where to stay

I stayed at Kia Lodge just outside the airport, which has a pool, decent facilities and interesting bird life. There are several hotels in town where you can stay though, many only a short walk from Union Café.

Email: [email protected]

More information:

Find out more about Kahawa Shamba and how these coffee tours help to create awareness and benefit the local communities.






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