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Mama Sumari togeher with four of her five children in
front of her farm. Once a year they harvest 15 bags of coffee. The hole
family depends on a good coffee season.
The coffee you can order via Wild Tracks is originally from an area in
Tanzania called Mt. Meru (3,2º south, 60º east, 1550 meter above sea).
Mt. Meru is the third biggest mountain in Africa, and you can see the
big brother Kilimanjaro (Africa’s highest) if you turn to the east.
Earlier, production of coffee was one of the most important sources of
income in the area. But lately the price of coffee has been reduced
drastically at the international market, making the income to the farmer
very low. Because of this many families have stopped the production of
coffee and turned into production of banana, maize, beans, paprika and
tomatoes. There are different families Wild Tracks is buying coffee
from. Each family produces about 220-6600
pounds (100 – 3000 kg) of row coffee each year on their small farms.
The coffee is hand picked when it is ready and thereafter washed and
dried. Usually the coffee is sold on an auction. The big international
companies will there buy dry unprocessed coffee that they
send out of the country for further processing.
Wild Tracks is buying coffee directly form the farmers
and process it in Arusha, Tanzania. After processing it is sent directly
to the customer. By doing it like this we manage to avoid the expensive
middlemen, and in addition all production is happening in Tanzania. If
you were to buy this coffee in the coffee shop you would have to pay
minimum 38 dollar per kg and your money would not have gone to those who
deserve it.
The family Apael Mose Sumari infront of their house in the village
Nkoanekoli. They have 6 children that they support by the coffee
production.
One of the producers of the coffee Wild Tracks is buying is the family
Reuben Langasaani Nnko. They live 1600 meter above sea in the village
Urisho and have a fantastic view over the Maasai land under Mt. Meru.
The family consists of Reuben (78 years old) and his wife, their sons
and the sons’ families. Together they have a farm on 8 acres, and they
produce 48 bags (almost 6600 pounds) of coffee each year. The whole
family depends on the coffee production. Reuben and his wife have
managed to send all their children and grandchildren to school.
Reuben Nnko with his wife. In front you can see equipment used for
drying the coffee. In the back you can see the Maasai land under Mt.
Meru.
Another family that has been gaining from the coffee sale is the
brothers Peniel and Apael Sumari. They live in the village Nkoanekoli
with their families. Peniel has 5, and Apael 6 children. They inherited
the coffee farm from their father who started 80 years ago. The farms
are 1,5 and 2 acres and they harvest 15 –20 bags of coffee per year. The
money they earn has gone to education for their children.
The professional buyers at the coffee auction
give this coffee the highest quality (Arabica, grad AA),
and consider it one of the best in the world!
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