When investors think of Mozambique these days, natural gas is the first thing to come to mind. However, savvy market insiders consider agriculture to be the real opportunity in the country.
Historically, Mozambique has produced negligible volumes of coffee, and challenges such as poor infrastructure and extreme weather patterns have stifled agriculture in the country for years.
Nevertheless, coffee in Mozambique is beginning to show some interesting signs of life. Alongside the small-scale cultivation, there’s been considerable investment in the Gorongosa National Park, in the mountains of Manica there is an interesting development brewing: Café de Manica and Café Vumba.
Café de Manica´s history began with the idea of planting a few coffee trees in the hills of the Chimanimani Reserve, Manica in Mozambique, and in 2019, Mandela Manuel, agronomist, and farmer planted a trial crop not traditionally grown outside the tropical region: coffee.
With a dash of crazy, hope, and instinct, Mandela made his way into the world of specialty coffee by allowing the cup to lead the way.
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Not far from there, and with the same enthusiasm, Riana and Rebeca alongside her manager Solomon, started another similar project in the Manica village named Café Vumba, surrounding the Vumba Mountain region. With the expectation of harvesting its first coffee beans in 2024 and still being able to contribute to the reforestation of this area, the local community welcomed this initiative with open arms.
Today, Café de Manica and Vumba are companies dedicated to the production, processing, and sale of coffee, through the integration of local communities in economically sustainable coffee production systems.
Both projects are known for their ‘Women in Coffee’ program, a one-of-a-kind ethical sourcing model committed to ending the cycle of poverty affecting women coffee farmers across the Manica province.
They provide direct compensation to women farmers, along with the opportunity and resources to enact positive change in their communities and on their own terms.
