We are a democratic and empowered Union of farmers. We produce our coffee with pride and care and we sell it with dignity and with knowledge and understanding of our markets and our customer needs
Our 3000 member farmers (25% women) have been growing coffee since early 1930s. The union comprises of 6 cooperatives: Misuku hill bordering Tanzania where over 50% of our coffee is produced at attitude of between 1700 to 2000m above sea level. Phoka Hills (attitude 1300 -2500m), Viphya hills (1200 – 1500m), Nkhatabay highlands overlooking Lake Malawi (altitude 1000 -2000m), South East Mzimba on the south of Viphya plateau (altitude 1200 to 1700m) and Ntchisi East (altitude of 1200-1800m)
“Our aim is that every smallholder coffee farmer achieves the following:
Adequate warmth~Decent clothing for the family, adequate beddings
Education~ send all children to decent schools”
Harvesting takes place between May and October every year and produces 400-500 tonnes of coffee beans.
Of this, about 95% is exported to the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan and other countries around the world, while 5% of the coffee is consumed within Malawi.
Mzuzu coffee beans are washed by wet process and are slowly matured in the hills at an altitude of 1000-2000m and in a cool climate, thus acquiring a softer, creamier body compared to other coffees from neighbouring countries.
Our goal is to improve quality of life of our member farmers through sustainable farmer organisations by promoting sustainable, production, processing and marketing technologies.
We promote business diversification at farmer, cooperative and union levels as means of diversifying sources of income. Besides producing coffee through smallholders, the union runs its own Usingini Commercial farm, run coffee shops popularly known as MZUZU COFFEE DENSand also run MZUZU COFFEE SUITES, a family friendly facility (non-alcoholic and non-smoking area).
