It seems that coffee was introduced to Malawi in the late 1800s. One claim states that a single tree taken from the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens was brought to the country in 1878 by John Buchnan, a Scottish missionary. It first took root in southern Malawi, in the Blantyre region, and by 1900 annual coffee production was at 1,000 tonnes (1,100 tons).
Despite its auspicious start, coffee production collapsed not long after due to a combination of poorly maintained soils, pests and diseases, and the competition from the increasingly dominant production of Brazil.
For most of the first part of the 20th century there was little African ownership of the large coffee farms as the country was under British colonial rule. However, the cooperative movement started in 1946 and coffee production grew dramatically in the 1950s. While they looked like they might prove to be successful, all the cooperatives were dissolved in 1971 due to political interference. Coffee production in Malawi peaked in the 1990s at 7,000 tonnes (7,700 tons), and has since shrunk back to around 1,500 tonnes (1,650 tons) a year.
Despite the fact that it is landlocked, Malawi has built a strong agricultural export economy. In the case of coffee, some attribute its success to the lack of government interference in export, allowing
direct relationships between sellers and buyers. However, for a long time quality was not of particular focus. Grading was a very simple system of Grade 1 and Grade 2, although in recent years there has been movement towards the AA-style grading system used throughout Africa.
The coffee varieties grown in Malawi certainly cover the extremes of the spectrum. There has been quite a lot of Geisha variety planted, the same variety that has generated so much interest in Central America. However, there is also quite a lot of Catimor throughout the country, a disease-resistant variety that is generally of much lower quality.
TRACEABILITY
Coffee in the south of Malawi is generally produced on large-scale, commercial estates and in the central and northern regions by smallholder farmers. Therefore it is possible to trace coffees back to a single farm, or to a large group of producers. Generally there should be excellent coffees available from both.
TASTE PROFILE
The coffees can be quite sweet and clean, though rarely as explosively fruity and complex as other coffees from East Africa.
GROWING REGIONS
Population: 18,090,000
Number of 60kg (132lb) bags in 2016: 18,000
Coffees from Malawi are rarely identified by their regions, and the regions themselves could be considered as defined pockets of coffee growing, rather than definable areas with distinct characteristics determined by the local terroir and microclimate.
CHITIPA DISTRICT
This area has a reputation of growing some of the best coffee in Malawi. It is close to the Songwe River, which provides a natural border between Malawi and Tanzania to the north. This area is home to the large Misuku Hills Cooperative.
| Altitude: | 1,700–2,000m (5,600–6,600ft) |
| Harvest: | April–September |
| Varieties: | Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra |
RUMPHI DISTRICT
This area is located in the north of the country, close to Lake Malawi in the eastern part of the Nyika National Park. There are several areas here with clusters of producers, such as Chakak, Mphachi, Salawe, Junji and VunguVungu. The Phoka Hills and Viphya North cooperatives are located here.
| Altitude: | 1,200–2,500m (3,900–8,100ft) |
| Harvest: | April–September |
| Varieties: | Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra |
NORTH VIPHYA
This region covers part of the North Viphya Plateau, which is separated from Nkhata Bay Highlands by the Lizunkhumi river valley.
| Altitude: | 1,200–1,500m (3,900–4,900ft) |
| Harvest: | April–September |
| Varieties: | Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra |
SOUTHEAST MZIMBA
This region is named for the city of Mzimba, and there are several valley and river systems running through it.
| Altitude: | 1,200–1,700m (3,900–5,600ft) |
| Harvest: | April–September |
| Varieties: | Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra |
NKHATA BAY HIGHLANDS
This region is just to the east of the regional capital city of Mzuzu.
| Altitude: | 1,000–2,000m (3,300–6,600ft) |
| Harvest: | April–September |
| Varieties: | Agaro, Geisha, Catimor, Mundo Novo, Caturra |
Coffee plantations in Malawi have a strong agricultural export economy and most coffee can be traced to a single farm.