35,000 tonnes of coffee make up 20 % of Zimbabwe’s economy.
- Coffee has been grown since the 1960s.
- The coffee production of Zimbabwe continues to suffer under the land reform of Robert Mugabe in early 2000, during which many landowners were expropriated and killed.
- Officially it was split up to small farmers, but it belongs to the politicians, who have no agricultural expertise and the areas partly simply grow profusely.
- The production volume is correspondingly low.
- The cultivation areas are located almost exclusively in the Highlands of 900 – 1,300 m in the eastern part of the country, around the town of Chipinge.
- The coffee is allowed to grow freely, but it is transplanted every few years.
- This keeps the plants strong and ensures a special high-quality Arabica coffee.
- Qualitatively equal with the best Kenyan coffees, the coffee is similar to the ones from Zambia.
- The taste is strong, intense and with fruit notes of dark berries and medium to strong acidity.