An important part of Glen Lyon’s coffee philosophy is buying from the same farmers and the same countries each year. However, every so often, we are given the opportunity to try a completely new origin, and when that happens we just have to share it with our customers. Welcome, then, to this wonderful coffee from Mount Sunzu in Zambia sourced through our friends at Omwani Coffee.
A Short History of Coffee in Zambia
Coffee production in Zambia began much later than its neighbours like Tanzania, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Missionaries introduced coffee to the British-controlled country (then known as Northern Rhodesia) in the 1950s,with the goal to diversify exports away from a sole focus on copper. The British established large plantations, with few smallholder farmers involved.
However, Zambia was so rich in copper, combined with plantations being hit by disease and difficulties getting harvests to port in a landlocked country, that coffee production never really took off as an export crop. It wasn’t until the country gained independence in 1964 that interest in increasing coffee production took off, helped by investment from the World Bank.
In the 1970s, efforts began in earnest to find productive, resilient, and high-quality cultivars that could thrive in Zambia’s specific environment. Projects focusing on irrigation and encouraging smallholders to plant coffee also took place, and by 1985 more than 1,000 smallholder coffee farms had been formed. The majority of farms are located in the country’s Northern Province, near the borders with Tanzania and the DRC.
Production increased to a peak of more than 6,000 metric tonnes in the 2004/5 harvest year, after which it has fallen year-on-year. The fall in production—to a low of just 300 tonnes in 2012—has been attributed to drought, low commodity prices, and a lack of long-term investment or financing in the country’s industry. It has recovered since that low point, and in 2019 Zambia exported nearly 2,000 tonnes of coffee.
Challenges and Progress in Zambian Coffee Production
Zambia still faces challenges, not least its landlocked location making export difficult and expensive. Coffee from the north goes to Dar es Salaam on Tanzania’s Indian Ocean coast, while harvests from the south are shipped via Namibia or South Africa.
Despite the increase in smallholder farms, production continues to be dominated by a few big companies that own multiple large estates. One single company, known as the Northern Coffee Corporation, is responsible for the majority of all exportable Zambian coffee. In 2008, Northern Coffee Corporation shut down after defaulting on its loans, and was bought by the agribusiness giant Olam in 2012.
Although the big estates and some smaller farms have their own processing facilities, the Zambia Coffee Growers Association also runs some dry mills that are open to smallholders. The association also helps with training and other resources to help smallholders increase both harvest yield and quality.
Sustainability and Quality in Zambian Coffee
This month’s coffee comes from Mount Sunzu farm in the Northern Province, which sits at 1,600 metres above sea level in the foothills of Zambia’s highest mountain right on the border with Tanzania.
Although it grew coffee in the 1950s, the farm transitioned to other crops and had lain fallow since the 1990s when it was purchased by three Swiss entrepreneurs in 2018. Since then they have revitalised the farm, planting coffee on 150 hectares and protecting and reforesting the remaining 600 hectares which is part of the continent-spanning Miombo dry forest.
Mount Sunzu employs more than 120 full time workers and another 120 during peak harvest season, and has also invested in local infrastructure development. The farm also features a solar-powered irrigation system and a beekeeping operation that helps with pollination and income diversification.
This coffee is the Marsellesa variety, a hybrid that has been bred for disease resistance and cup quality. It was processed on-site at Mount Sunzu, fully washed and dried on raised beds before being hulled and hand-sorted. It is a clean, bright coffee with notes of dark chocolate and hazelnut—if it is anything to go by, we look forward to bringing you more offerings from Zambia in the years ahead.
