Into Africa:
January 21, 2008
Recently I returned to my favorite place
in East Africa - Tanzania. Specifically, I travelled to Portland
Roasting’s most recent addition to our Farm Friendly Direct™
programs- the Acacia Hills Coffee Estate. The estate is located next to
Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania a world heritage site and home to
tens of thousands of animals, some of which are on the endangered species
list.
My trip was only a week in country and 3 days in transit. Upon my arrival I met up with our farming partners Leon and Aideen Christianakis who run the farm. They took me to a local event where I enjoyed the sounds of Christmas carols sung by friends and families from the farming community. It was my first time to see an Acacia Christmas tree. This unusual plant has a beautiful flower that only blooms when the plant is about to die. They painted it silver and hung ornaments on it. It did the job and showed the Christmas spirit.
The following
day we headed to the farm which is about a 3 hour drive from Arusha.
Before going to the farm we stopped off in Arusha to get supplies for the
week. On the way to the farm we drove past Lake Manyara a must see
national park with amazing bird life and breathtaking big game like
elephants and Cape buffalo.
After enduring one of the most brutal roads I have traveled in recent years the farm truly felt like an oasis. As soon as you turn into the property the vegetation become lush and the shade trees offer immediate protection and comfort from the sun – not only for us but the coffee as well; rows and rows of coffee trees line the landscape up the mountain. The farm altitude ranges from 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet.
This was
the end of harvest so the farmers were stripping off the last of the coffee
from the trees to ensure that the next year’s crop flowers fully
produces great fruit. In addition they began the annual pruning in order
to ensure a healthy crop in subsequent years. Leon and I decided to begin
a monthly video blog; the first edition will be a short lesson on pruning,
including why it is important to prune a coffee tree and how to do it.
This farm is undergoing a major rehabilitation project that will take
several years. We will bring it all to you via our website.
Every month we will post a new video blog on our site via YouTube to introduce you to the faming community and present the complexities of the coffee farm. You will be able to understand the intensive labor and expertise it takes to get the coffee you drink to market. It will become clear that, in addition to the natural resources on the farm, the life blood of the farm is the farm works.
One of
the main water sources of the farm is a natural spring that originates in
the conservation area and is maintained daily. This water feeds the wet
mill, is stored in large cement tanks near the top of the farm, and is one
of two water rights the farm has. Because of its scarcity water is
critical to the farm. Four years ago the area was in a severe drought and
many of the coffee trees died as a result. This farm has enough altitude
to endure the hot dry months without rain but many trees will need to be
added to keep the moisture in the soil.
This trip was arranged to help the farm better understand the coffee they produce in a way never done before. We donated an agronomy kit that will allow the farm to do its own soil and leaf testing. This will allow the farm to maximize its investment in fertilizers and micro-nutrients when needed. This in return will produce a healthier plant that will produce better coffee and bigger crops.
On the last day at the farm we had a wonderful visitor. A large
male elephant came to eat grass in one of the farm’s designated
conservation areas. They don’t like coffee other than to
occasionally scratch themselves against the larger trees. In those
instance, the result is usually a broken tree or two. However, more often
the real damage is when Cape buffalo sleep in the coffee area and trample
the coffee when startled by a worker.
Over the next several years you will witness an amazing transformation of a once magnificent coffee estate being brought back to its glory. Portland Roasting is proud to be a development partner with the farm and encourage anyone interested to visit. It will be the trip of a lifetime and hopefully you will better understand the importance of our work with our Farm Friendly Direct™ programs.
My next trip is to Uganda in February to the East African Fine Coffee Association meeting. From there I will again visit Acacia Hills for a follow up video taping of the progress of pruning and continued restoration of the farm.
Until next time,
Mark
My trip was only a week in country and 3 days in transit. Upon my arrival I met up with our farming partners Leon and Aideen Christianakis who run the farm. They took me to a local event where I enjoyed the sounds of Christmas carols sung by friends and families from the farming community. It was my first time to see an Acacia Christmas tree. This unusual plant has a beautiful flower that only blooms when the plant is about to die. They painted it silver and hung ornaments on it. It did the job and showed the Christmas spirit.
The following
day we headed to the farm which is about a 3 hour drive from Arusha.
Before going to the farm we stopped off in Arusha to get supplies for the
week. On the way to the farm we drove past Lake Manyara a must see
national park with amazing bird life and breathtaking big game like
elephants and Cape buffalo. After enduring one of the most brutal roads I have traveled in recent years the farm truly felt like an oasis. As soon as you turn into the property the vegetation become lush and the shade trees offer immediate protection and comfort from the sun – not only for us but the coffee as well; rows and rows of coffee trees line the landscape up the mountain. The farm altitude ranges from 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet.
This was
the end of harvest so the farmers were stripping off the last of the coffee
from the trees to ensure that the next year’s crop flowers fully
produces great fruit. In addition they began the annual pruning in order
to ensure a healthy crop in subsequent years. Leon and I decided to begin
a monthly video blog; the first edition will be a short lesson on pruning,
including why it is important to prune a coffee tree and how to do it.
This farm is undergoing a major rehabilitation project that will take
several years. We will bring it all to you via our website.Every month we will post a new video blog on our site via YouTube to introduce you to the faming community and present the complexities of the coffee farm. You will be able to understand the intensive labor and expertise it takes to get the coffee you drink to market. It will become clear that, in addition to the natural resources on the farm, the life blood of the farm is the farm works.
One of
the main water sources of the farm is a natural spring that originates in
the conservation area and is maintained daily. This water feeds the wet
mill, is stored in large cement tanks near the top of the farm, and is one
of two water rights the farm has. Because of its scarcity water is
critical to the farm. Four years ago the area was in a severe drought and
many of the coffee trees died as a result. This farm has enough altitude
to endure the hot dry months without rain but many trees will need to be
added to keep the moisture in the soil.This trip was arranged to help the farm better understand the coffee they produce in a way never done before. We donated an agronomy kit that will allow the farm to do its own soil and leaf testing. This will allow the farm to maximize its investment in fertilizers and micro-nutrients when needed. This in return will produce a healthier plant that will produce better coffee and bigger crops.
On the last day at the farm we had a wonderful visitor. A large
male elephant came to eat grass in one of the farm’s designated
conservation areas. They don’t like coffee other than to
occasionally scratch themselves against the larger trees. In those
instance, the result is usually a broken tree or two. However, more often
the real damage is when Cape buffalo sleep in the coffee area and trample
the coffee when startled by a worker. Over the next several years you will witness an amazing transformation of a once magnificent coffee estate being brought back to its glory. Portland Roasting is proud to be a development partner with the farm and encourage anyone interested to visit. It will be the trip of a lifetime and hopefully you will better understand the importance of our work with our Farm Friendly Direct™ programs.
My next trip is to Uganda in February to the East African Fine Coffee Association meeting. From there I will again visit Acacia Hills for a follow up video taping of the progress of pruning and continued restoration of the farm.
Until next time,
Mark
