🇿🇲 Zambia
Page updated: @January 13, 2025
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Contents
- Contents
- Location
- History
- Founding Vision
- Operations and Facilities
- Community and Social Impact
- Environmental Initiatives
- Social Impact
- Marketing Assets
- Producer Updates
Mount Sunzu Coffee Ltd is a specialty coffee producer operating in northern Zambia, near the country's highest mountain, Mount Mafinga. Founded in 2018 (Zambian entity) and 2021 (Swiss entity), the company is dedicated to revolutionising coffee production through sustainable farming practices, cutting-edge technology, and a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Mount Sunzu aims to set a new standard for modern agriculture by combining high-quality coffee production with positive community impact and climate-smart practices.
Location
History
Mount Sunzu Coffee was founded by Luca Costa, Fridolin Stocker, and Yanik Costa, three Swiss entrepreneurs with backgrounds in agriculture, agronomy, and finance. The farm was established on a 780-hectare plot in northern Zambia, an area with a long history of agriculture dating back to 1890. Between 1940 and 1950, the land was previously used as a coffee farm before transitioning to other crops. The founders secured a 99-year lease and began the extensive development of the land, which required:
- Clearing and preparing the land while preserving natural ecosystems
- Installing modern irrigation systems, powered by solar energy
- Rehabilitating and improving soil conditions to support coffee cultivation
- Constructing roads, storage facilities, and processing infrastructure
- Protecting and actively reforesting 600 hectares of Miombo forest
- Introducing beekeeping to support biodiversity and provide an additional income stream
During the early development, historical artifacts, including a 15th-century iron monolith, were discovered on the farm, highlighting the land’s rich cultural and agricultural heritage.
Founding Vision
The team chose to pursue coffee production due to their background in agriculture and agronomy, as well as their goal to create a future-oriented, climate-positive farming model. This vision was not just about producing coffee but also creating jobs, improving local communities, and developing an environmentally sustainable practices.
Mount Sunzu were particularly motivated by the perceived lack of innovation in coffee farming compared to other agricultural sectors. While Brazil prioritises efficiency and Colombia focuses on quality, they wanted to combine both aspects in one farm. Their approach integrates:
- Cutting-edge irrigation systems to optimise water use
- Sustainable, climate-positive farming that absorbs more COâ‚‚ than it emits
- A socially responsible model that provides stable employment and fair wages to local workers
Operations and Facilities
Mount Sunzu is located near Yambola, Zambia, at the foot of the country’s highest mountain. The farm spans 115 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation, with an additional 35 hectares set to be developed by 2025. The remaining 600 hectares of land are actively reforested with the native Miombo forest, balancing conservation with agriculture.
The farm features:
- A fully equipped washing station and dry mill
- Various coffee processing methods, including natural, honey, and fully washed
- Drying facilities with raised drying beds
- A solar-powered irrigation system
- Beekeeping operations to promote biodiversity and income diversification
Community and Social Impact
Mount Sunzu is deeply committed to environmental and social sustainability. The company follows a holistic approach to coffee farming, balancing agriculture, conservation, and community development.
Environmental Initiatives
- 600 hectares of Miombo forest protected and reforested
- Climate-smart farming with cover crops, biological pest control, and COâ‚‚ sequestration
- Solar energy integrated into irrigation and processing systems
- Plans to convert coffee husks into fertiliser via pyrolysis
Social Impact
- Employment: Over 120 full-time employees and up to 120 seasonal workers
- Fair wages and benefits, including pensions, health insurance, and accident coverage
- Infrastructure development, including an 8km road network for local communities
- Plans for further investment in water purification, power lines, and affordable solar energy solutions
