Mzuzu Coffee is a union of six cooperatives spread across the country’s northern region close to the shores of Lake Malawi. Over half of Mzuzu’s coffee is grown in the Misuku Hills at an altitude of 1700-2000m above sea level.

Fast facts

  • Location: Northern Malawi
  • Altitude: 1700-2000m (50%)
  • Founded: 2009
  • Members:2502, including 601 women
  • First traded with Twin: 2010
  • Coffee: Arabica
  • Type: Fairtrade certification, Women’s coffee
  • Quality: Fully-washed Arabica
  • Harvest: July – October
  • Shipping: September – February
  • Flavour profile: citrus flavour, floral notes and a smooth, toffee finish

Headline

  • Mzuzu Coffee is a dynamic producer organisation committed to delivering speciality coffee and investing in the social and economic empowerment of its members

Quality and processing

Mzuzu prepares fully washed Arabica coffee, collecting cherry from producers and processing this coffee at their microwashing stations.

Projects

Mzuzu has a climate and environment sustainable farming pilot project to move from monocrop to shade/intercrop coffee and provides training and mentoring of field staff on good agricultural practices. The cooperative is also a member of the Joint Marketing Initiative (JMI), and received support from Twin on product differentiation, buyer communication and contract negotiation. Twin has also conducted a review of gender policy and development of women’s coffee proposition.