Kaldi Specialty - March 2025
Tanzania - Marangu Peaberry
In March of 2025, Kaldi introduced the Specialty coffee Marangu Peaberry from Tanzania. A very special specialty coffee with flavors and aromas of berries, rodel apple and a special dry body like a Concord grape, among others.
Aroma
Berries, black tea
Body
Pleasant dryness, as in a Concord grape
Acidity
Malic Acid
Aftertaste
Rapsberry and stone fruit
About the Tanzania Marangu Peaberry coffee
Plantations: Marangu cooperative, 35 farmers
Size: 24 hectares
Altituse: 1.400 - 1.800 meters above sea level
Location: Close to Nkoaranga, northern Tanzania
Cultivars: Arabica Bourbon (Jackson, Mbirizi) and Kent
Exportor: Wanza
Importor: This Side Up Coffees
Get to know Rebecca
In 2011, Rebecca returned to her mother's land, where her family had grown coffee for generations. Here she began interviewing farmers in the Kilimanjaro region to understand their real needs, struggles and challenges. She understood that most farmers were struggling to stay afloat after the global coffee price fell in the 1990s, and Rebecca sought ways for farmers to earn more from their coffee. Above all, she wanted to create long-term benefits for coffee producers by creating a solid network of small, democratic and independent cooperatives, organizations and individuals committed to growing the best coffee in the best way possible. Rebecca and her team at Wanza quickly noticed that the community was eager to make a change, so the conversations gradually turned into a community-led initiative to improve the quality and quantity of coffee and find buyers willing to pay better prices.
About the plantation
The Marangu cooperative was created in response to the challenges faced by farmers in the Kilimanjaro region following the global decline in coffee prices in the 1990s. Led by Rebecca and the Wanza team, the farmers work together in a democratic and independent structure, focused on improving both the quality and yield of their coffee.
About the farmers
Marangu's farmers are committed to sustainable cultivation and fair trade. The establishment of Wanza as an export company allows them to match Aranga's high quality standards and receive better prices for their coffee. The network of small-scale farmer organizations not only strengthens their economic position, but also contributes to the community as a whole.
Processing the coffee
The coffee berries are pulped by hand and washed immediately on the day of harvest. Then they are wet fermented twice (18 hours twice), shade dried and then further dried on raised drying beds in the sun. The coffee is a peaberry, which means that only one round bean grows per berry, yielding unique flavors.
Roasting the coffee
The coffee is roasted with a 1965 Probat UG22 machine. The roasting process takes 10 minutes, 25% of which is after the first crack, to best preserve the complex flavor notes.
Pricing
53% goes to farmers (farm price for dried pergamino coffee)
14% for processing and export preparation (dryer and documentation)
13% transport costs (internal transport and export to the Netherlands)
15% fee for This Side Up (for relationship management, market development and quality control)
5% finance charges (for direct payment to farmers upon shipment)