🇲🇼 Malawi
Page updated: @November 12, 2024
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Contents
The Phoka Coffee Cooperative is a coffee-producing cooperative located in the Phoka Hills of Northern Malawi, made up of elevations ranging from 1300 to 2500 meters above sea level. The cooperative is made up of 777 farmers, including both men and women, who cultivate coffee on smallholder farms ranging from 0.2 to 0.5 hectares.
Location
Phoka Coffee is grown in the Phoka Hills, an area within the Northern Region of Malawi, approximately 150 kilometers from the city of Mzuzu. The region is located to the east of Nyika National Park and includes several coffee-growing villages, such as Chakaka, Mphachi, Salawe, Junju, and Vunguvungu. This region’s unique climate, with an average rainfall of around 1,760 to 1,806 millimeters per year, provides the ideal environment for producing exceptional coffee.
History
The origins of the Phoka Coffee Growers Cooperative trace back to the early 1990s when coffee production in Malawi underwent significant reforms. In 1971, the Smallholder Coffee Authority was established to provide financial and marketing support to coffee farmers. However, due to mismanagement and growing debt, the authority was replaced in 1999 by the Smallholder Coffee Farmers Trust, which allowed farmers to participate more actively in the management and operations of the coffee sector.
In the same year, the Mzuzu Coffee Association was formed as a collective of six coffee-growing cooperatives, including Phoka Cooperative. The cooperative was part of the Mzuzu Coffee Association until 2019, when it separated due to management challenges and delays in payments to farmers. After this split, Phoka Coffee became an independent cooperative and began working closely with Satemwa Tea and Coffee for processing and exporting its coffee.
Cooperative Structure
The Phoka Coffee Cooperative is organised into 36 business centres spread across 13 zones within the Phoka Hills region. Each zone is managed by a director who serves on the cooperative's board. Currently, the cooperative has 15 directors: 13 zone directors, a chairperson (Dave Nierenda), and a vice-chairperson. The cooperative also has 7 secretariat members, with Jack Nkhata serving as the Development Manager, responsible for logistics and marketing.
Coffee Production
The cooperative's coffee farms cover an average of 0.2 to 0.5 hectares per farmer, with a total of 777 farmers (552 male and 225 female) involved in coffee cultivation. The coffee is grown at altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 2,500 meters above sea level. The cooperative primarily grows three varieties of Arabica coffee: Nyasa, Catimor, and Geisha. The beans are processed using a washed method at local washing stations before being transported to Satemwa Tea and Coffee for further milling, grading, and export preparation.
The harvest season typically runs from September to October, with an annual production of 150 to 200 tons of coffee. The cooperative places great emphasis on quality control, providing ongoing training to farmers on best agricultural practices, regenerative agriculture, and proper post-harvest handling techniques, including color picking and processing procedures.
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