We work with 13 partners worldwide, from who we source our coffee. In Tanzania, we work together with Cafe Business Consult, CBC. On this page you can find everything you need to know about this collaboration.

THE COUNTRY.

After a decline of coffee production throughout the 60’s and 70’s the Tanzania coffee industry picked up again in the 1990’s. Independent farmers got licences from the Tanzanian Coffee Board. They could now produce and sell coffee directly to roasters and exporters. In theory a straight-forward and liberating move. The board’s role now involves regulating the industry and advising the government on all things related to coffee and facilitates the weekly auction at Moshi. Coffee is the country’s largest cash crop, earning over 400,000 families a livelihood.

Tanzania is of course well known for safaris, the beaches of Zanzibar and Mount Kilimanjaro. The slopes of the highest mountain in Africa are also home of some great arabica’s. These coffees are known as Kilimanjaro coffee all over the world (very big in Japan!). However, there are other producing regions in Tanzania delivering amazing coffees. One of those areas is Mbinga in the far South-West.

THE

COFFEE.

White grapes! Everyone agrees. It is an amazing coffee. Underappreciated and undervalued (before Wakuli of course). We are amazed to see that every year since the start of our collaboration the coffee has increased in quality. We are excited to see where this will end! For now the sky seems to be the limit. Tanzania is one of our Discover Monthlies. Taste notes: white grapes and raisins.

OUR

PARTNERSHIP.

Tanzania is a unique origin for Wakuli. The partnership with Cafe Business Consult CBC is as old as Wakuli itself. In a way Tanzania is our birthplace. Yorick, Wakuli’s co-founder, worked for an aid organisation in Tanzania, supporting cooperatives to professionalise. There he saw that, if there is no market for the improved quality coffee farmers get disillusioned and leave coffee, literally ripping out coffee plants and replacing them with corn or wheat. Yorick started asking the question: What if you take out unnecessary middlemen? What if we actually start paying farmers what they deserve? What if regular coffee drinkers started appreciating specialty coffee? That could really be a gamechanger. The idea for Wakuli was born and after three years of working closely with our partner CBC in Tanzania in 2023 we finally imported the first Tanzania coffee.

THE

CHANGEMAKER.

Meet Adolf Kumburu and Thomas Ngapomba. They are the true change makers who make it possible for farmers to sell their coffee for a serious premium compared to prices they would receive when selling their coffee through the traditional channels. As two hardcore coffee veterans they are the perfect match for Wakuli. They focus on improvement through quality, they believe in sustainable development to safeguard the future of coffee and they are in a position to facilitate direct export, bypassing the bureaucratic and corrupt system that holds farmers in its grip.