Tanzania’s coffee industry is exploring fresh initiatives to better commercialize its coffee by-products.
Authorities in the country are conducting national awareness programs in readiness for this bold push.
Currently, coffee generates about 24% of traditional export earnings in Tanzania.

Tanzania is exploring fresh initiatives to increase revenue from it’s coffee output by adding value to the crop’s byproducts. To this end, the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) is urging coffee farmers and industry stakeholders to turn what would otherwise be waste into commercially viable products.

By commercializing coffee byproducts, Tanzania hopes to transform millions of tonnes of agricultural waste into valuable revenue streams. Traditionally, over 90 percent of the coffee cherry’s biomass is discarded during processing and brewing in the East African country. Industry innovators are turning these materials into high-margin consumer and industrial products.

International companies such as Bio-bean are famed for the manufacture of commercial heating briquettes that are said to burn 20 percent hotter and longer than kiln-dried wood. “The government is looking to deepen the coffee value addition chain and that way, raise earnings across the entire coffee value chain,” notes TCB Acting Director General, Mr. Kajiru Kisenge. He adds that there are emerging projects that use coffee grounds to make organic bio-batteries

Speaking at the seventh edition of the Kahawa Festival in Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Kisenge said while coffee exports are highly profitable, the commercial potential goes far beyond its traditional use as a beverage and Tanzania ought to make the most of it.

“The coffee crop is highly profitable due to the fact that apart from being a beverage crop, it also has other commercially profitable products,” he said.

TCB has partnered with industry stakeholders such as the Tanzania Coffee Association (TCA) and Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TARI/TaCRI) to conduct trainings on how to process and utilise coffee waste and by-products instead of discarding them.

Seconding the Acting General Director, TCB Director of Coffee Quality and Promotion Frank Nyarusi said the new push brings together farmers, processors, exporters and other players to showcase products, technology, innovation and deliberate sustainable development of the coffee sector.

According to Moshi District Commissioner, Mr. Godfrey Mnzava, “by aligning coffee production with market demand, we can strengthen the crop’s contribution to the economy and that way, support the country’s long-term development ambitions under Vision 2050.

“Coffee is one of the country’s strategic agriculture development crops,” Mnzava added, “if stakeholders stick to the government’s roadmap, we can ensure that the sector contributes a lot more to the national economy.”

On his part, the Kahawa Festival organising Committee Chairman Mr. Denis Mahulu complemented the event’s expansion over the last few years. “The event continues to attract more and more exhibitors and visitors from Tanzania and beyond our borders … it is increasingly becoming an important platform for the general international coffee industry.”

He pointed out that the festival has helped create employment opportunities, especially the discovery of skilled baristas which in turn has opened up much needed job opportunities for youth. According to Mahulu, the festival has also raised awareness of available investment opportunities which has led to mushrooming coffee shops and mobile coffee outlets in the region.

“Even domestic coffee consumption is up 15 percent from about seven percent a few years ago,” he noted. Themed ‘Coffee is part of the solution, building prosperity through partnerships,’ this year’s event is due to run from October 8 to 10.

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Tanzania coffee industry development

Tanzania’s coffee industry is renown for producing world-class Arabica and Robusta beans. According to TCB, the current annual output ranges between 80,000 to 100,000 metric tonnes and the sector generates an estimated 24% of traditional export earnings.

The board says, through private sector engagement, it is looking to raise output to 300,000 tons by 2030. Major export destinations of Tanzania’s green beans is Europe, Japan, and the U.S.

TCB is now working to open up new high-value markets in China and the Middle East. With Tanzanian coffee having been recently recognized by the African Fine Coffees Association as the best Arabica variety on the continen, TCB is looking to capitalize on this merit to expand exports.

TCB is already seeing results of it’s efforts reporting a production boom with national output having nearly doubled from averages of 50,000 tons up to 100,000 metric tons in recent seasons.

According to TCB, the boom is thanks to the national Agriculture Master Plan, through which the board aims to raise production to 300,000 tons by 2030.

Tanzania coffee production is dominated by smallholder production owning small farm plots that range between 0.5 and 3 hectares. “Small family operations manage over 90% of the coffee infrastructure,” TCB reports.

According to TCB, just about 10 percent of production comes from large estates which are located primarily in the Arusha, Kilimanjaro, and Mbeya regions.

Events such as the Kahawa Festival are key platforms to share modern technology adaption techniques on the backdrop of ongoing traditional selling methods like the Moshi Coffee Auction. “While direct trading is permitted, the bulk of Tanzanian coffee is centrally graded and traded through the historic weekly auction system in Moshi,” explains TCB in regards to the auction.

The board is now leaning towards digital integration which includes am9ng other initiatives, implementation of an online coffee auction system. The online system has now minimized the interference of the trade by middleman and in effect, has allowed direct farmer-to-buyer interaction while also promoting transparency in pricing.

Tanzania is also investing in scientific research to increase output. The Tanzania Coffee Research Institute (TaCRI) is in charge of deploying climate-resilient seedlings to counter climate change challenges. The board also conducts sustainable farming workshops geared at helping farmers adapt to global supply chain changes.

As mentioned, the board is also pushing for value addition stressing that coffee’s profitability goes far beyond the traditional exported bean. Other output growth initiatives include application of organic fertilizer and composting. Notably, coffee pulp and husks are rich in nutrients which makes them ideal for high-grade compost which serves to enrich local soils.

To meet global clean energy requirements, he board is also promoting eco-friendly energy. As mentioned, dried coffee husks are carbonized and compressed into fuel briquettes which offer a sustainable alternative to cutting down trees for charcoal.

Further still, to reduce waste, TCB is promoting use of centralized processing units and eco-pulpers which help lower water usage on one hand and gather clean, localized byproduct streams for upcycling on the other.

Finally, in it’s drive to increase output or rather to increase profitability through commercializing wastes and by-products, Tanzania is looking to tap into the fast growing organic fabrics industr.

Internationally, top brands now use coffee grounds to make fabrics, leveraging the natural anti-bacterial and odor-neutralizing properties of coffee polymers, market research shows.

Coffee by-products are also used in the cosmetics industry; “Coffee waste is rich in lipids, polyphenols, and antioxidants…urban coffee waste is used to extract premium oils for luxury skincare lines,” notes the sustainable coffee practice research paper.

Other modern adoptions of coffee waste commercialization include waste water filtration and uptake of industrial adsorbents. Tanzania, through TCB is now tapping into this recycle chain to make the most of it’s coffee waste and by-products.