What started with six farmers as an experiment in 2018 to revive the coffee industry — set back by years of land reform, bad politics and a series of droughts — is now paying dividends as one of the few successful agriculture stories in Zimbabwe.
Through Nespresso, a unit of the Nestle Group headquartered in Switzerland, Zimbabwe is back on the map thanks to the Reviving Origins Programme.
“Back in 2018, when the Nespresso Reviving Origins Programme started in Zimbabwe, we partnered with six farmers from the Honde Valley region to help them improve the quality of their coffee and the productivity of their farms. Now, in 2021, we are providing technical assistance and training to 500 smallholding farmers and two coffee estates,” said Yassir Corpataux, Nespresso Middle East and Africa (MEA) coffee ambassador.
Honde Valley was Zimbabwe’s capital for coffee growers because of its climatic conditions.
In the late 1980s, Zimbabwean coffee farmers produced over 15,000 tons of coffee a year. The production peaked in 1988, when more than 100 estates across northern and eastern Zimbabwe grew coffee. However, production almost came to a halt as a result of climate factors and economic instability in the country. By 2017, production levels were at less than 500 tons a year. Today, only two estates remain.
“Most coffee farmers are smallholders and were not recipients of the land redistribution programme. The farmers suffered as the economy collapsed which led them to turn to other crops to make a living as well as for their own consumption.”
Agriculture is a key development priority for Zimbabwe and this particular project fits into the wider ambition to revive agricultural industries. The people of Zimbabwe are proud of their coffee and want to give the world an opportunity to enjoy it once again.
— Yassir Corpataux, Nespresso Middle East and Africa coffee ambassador
Through the achievements of the scheme, coffee growing was taken up in communities neighbouring Honde Valley.
“In 2019, we expanded the AAA Sustainable Quality Programme to the regions of Chipinge, Chimanimani and Vumba. To date, over 2,900 trees have been distributed to AAA farms,” he added.
As such, the Nespresso Tamuka mu Zimbabwe (Shona for “we have arisen once again”) Arabica coffee, which according to Nestle “bustles with complex fruitiness and zesty, bright acidity, with notes of cranberry to red berries, and currant to grape”, is already on sale in SA.
But Zimbabwe is a far cry from being a leader in exporting coffee. Ethiopia, at the helm, is also supported by the Reviving Origins Programme.
“Ethiopia is the largest African coffee producing country we source from,” Corpataux said.
With government support there’s potential for Zimbabwe.
“From the start of this project in 2018, Nespresso and TechnoServe (technical partner) have received strong support across all levels of government, local administrations and farming communities. Agriculture is a key development priority for Zimbabwe and this particular project fits into the wider ambition to revive agricultural industries. The people of Zimbabwe are proud of their coffee and want to give the world an opportunity to enjoy it once again,” he added.
However, there’s a quality control issue posing a challenge for Zimbabwean farmers.
“Lack of access to pulpers is a major challenge facing Zimbabwean farmers, who typically use home-made pulpers, which negatively affect coffee quality,” said Corpataux.
That’s why farmers earn a premium for the high quality coffee they produce and are increasing their yields, which helps them to improve their income year on year.
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