Tanzania Lunji-Estate MBE4 SL-28 PB honey

Tanzania “Lunji” State, MBE4

In 1898, when Tanzania was still a German colonial territory and part of the then “German East Africa”, the German emigrant Emil Köstlin acquired a piece of land in the beautiful highlands in the south of the country. At that time, the landscape was characterized by untouched wilderness. Emil Köstlin named his small farm “Mbeya-hof” and started to cultivate 3 ha of coffee. In addition, he ran a livestock farm with up to 1500 cattle, some donkeys and pigs, as well as arable farming with barley and a variety of fruit trees.

Farm history

The end of the world war brought a big change for Tanzania and therefore also a big change for Mbeya-hof.
The British successors quickly discovered the potential of coffee cultivation. The fertile soil and favorable site conditions allowed the idea of coffee production to mature and coffee quickly became the country’s main export.
In 1928, more land was cleared and coffee cultivation expanded on the estate, which the British now called Lunji Estate. It is likely that the name “Lunji”, originated in the obsolete Safwa name “Ilunji” for a tree species commonly found here.

Today, Lunji is a medium-sized coffee plantation with 30 employees and up to 150 helpers. who find work on the plantation at harvest time. The farm has been run by Clemens and Stella Maier for over 20 years and legally operates as a partnership between Clemens Maier, who is of German descent, and Thomas Plattner, who is Swiss. In addition to coffee, avocados, apples, chickens, pigs and a variety of different vegetables and fruits are also native to Lunji.

The coffee on “Lunji

The discovery of coffee and the subsequent spread of the pleasure drink in Asia and Europe is well known. At Lunji, however, Paul, the son of Stella and Clemens Maier, continues to make new discoveries about the history of coffee in Tanzania and coffee on the farm. Sharing information and stories with eyewitnesses or their descendants makes it possible to better understand both the agronomic and historical aspects of his coffee.

Towards the end of the 19th century, the first coffee plants were introduced to East Africa by missionaries from the island of Bourbon (today “La Reunion”). This bourbon variety was initially grown in the Morogoro region of the country and then steadily spread across the country. Again missionaries of the Herrnhut Mission brought this variety to their mission in Utengule, a village only 5 km away from Lunji. The first coffee fields on Lunji were planted with this Coffea species.

The unique microclimate and favorable site conditions have since allowed the cultivation of this high quality coffee.

Over the years, various other varieties have been added to the basic stocks and some fields have been replaced with more complex varieties, including Typica, Catimor and the Rume Sudan hybrid. This mixture of different varieties and the resulting characteristics give the coffee from Lunji-Estate a unique and complex taste.

We are currently planning with Paul Maier to harvest one or the other variety in the future and to bring some of these nano-lots to Tegernsee in different types of preparation. Natural or honey processed coffees are still a rarity in Tanzania. We are working on this. very closely with the Maiers and are already looking forward to the results of the next harvest.

Man on Lunji

For many years, young and old have been meeting almost daily to play and train together on the soccer field specially built on the farm. Goals are set and achieved together, and unity and friendships are fostered through sports.
As the largest employer in the village, the Maiers are committed to providing the best conditions for the neighborhood, as well as the families of their employees. All the many people who have made peaceful coexistence possible over the decades are very close to the owners’ hearts.

They believe that education is the most powerful weapon against poverty and offers hope for a better future for Tanzania. Thus, since then, Lunji has always been in the forefront when it came to building schools in the neighborhood. One of the schools supported by Lunji is Ihombe Primary School. Here, boys as well as girls can attend secondary school according to the Tanzanian education system.

Preservation of biodiversity

Lunji is rich in impressive plant and animal life. It is the concern of the Maier family to protect the natural condition in order to preserve this valuable ecosystem. Thus, Lunji has always been involved in the reforestation of indigenous trees on the farm and in the forest reserve of the Mbeya Range mountains. Provisions are being made to contain forest fires and deforestation on the reserve. Coffee production is carried out according to the guidelines of the Tanzania Coffee Board, an institution that oversees the country’s coffee industry.

All roasted coffee prices include. dt. Coffee tax (€ 2,19 / 1 Kg roasted coffee) and incl. 7% VAT. Subject to change without notice. Offer while stocks last.