During our visit to the Mondul Coffee Estate, we’ll look at the success of our jointly developed projects, make new plans for the future, and experience first-hand the day-to-day operations of a coffee farm. We’ll stay on the farm for two weeks and, as part of our Management Trainee Program, will lend a hand at every step of the production process.
Together with Dean, we drive from Arusha up into the slopes of the Monduli Mountains. Dean is the general manager of our long-time partner farm, Mondul Coffee Estate. The farm is not only home to wonderful coffee, but also to a talented soccer team, which is playing against the neighboring village when we arrive. The next day, Messi, the man in charge of water management, takes us through the jungle up to the water source – A four-hour hike that he himself undertakes weekly. “No water, No life,” Messi says. He’s right, and for that he sometimes has to repair pipes damaged by elephants.
Farm manager Amarine, his assistant Willy and supervisor Winnifrieda guide us through the daily work on the farm, which starts at 7:00 in the morning with a common and ecumenical prayer. While the pickers are on their way to the field, after 48 hours of fermentation, the beans are transferred from their tanks to the washing channels in the factory, where their remaining fructose is removed and they are sorted according to density. At the same time, the already drying beans are spread out on the drying beds and turned for another day under the African sun.