Hasambo (Natural) - Tanzania

About this coffee

Ripe cherries pour in from the villages of Ilembo, Hasamba, Masangula and Kilimapima, into the Hasambo Agricultural Marketing Cooperative and Society (AMCOS) located in the southern highlands of Tanzania. One of the producers working with this cooperative is Communal Shamba who specialises in working with smallholder producers to deliver sustainable, high-end specialty coffees as a part of their program Goods for Goodness of our Communities. Communal Shamba, meaning Farms in the Swahili language, is spearheaded by Kerembe Warioba and Dr Mkunde Chachage. Together, this duo not only supports the farmers of the Mbozi district with better coffee cultivation techniques but they also helped to build the local health clinic. In 2018, Dr Chachage was recognised by the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) as the Best Scientist in Tanzania and as the Best Research Scientist for her efforts in finding permanent solutions for HIV, TB and co-infections. Just like Communal Shamba, Hasambo AMCOS, too, is actively involved in community building and environmental initiatives. The group protects the regional water bodies by building 2-metre-wide buffer zones along the rivers and springs. Discharge channels and water collection tanks are also constructed to collect hazardous waste. The cooperative supports cultivation by planting shade trees and efficiently using fertilisers and pesticides. Farms in the region are located at over 1600 masl and growers cultivate Bourbon and Kent varieties. Over 500 members and 500 non-members are part of the Hasambo AMCOS, who collectively produce 100 to 400 tonnes of parchment, annually. Hasambo was registered in August 1993 as a subgroup of Mbozi Cooperative Union before striking out as the first independent AMCOS in 2002. ---