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Introduction to Kigoma Coffee Region in Tanzania, Africa

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Africa is the second largest continent in the world, located in the southwestern part of the Eastern Hemisphere, spanning both north and south of the equator. Africa is a highland continent with vast territory. The plateau area with elevations between 500-1000 meters accounts for more than 60% of Africa's land area and features numerous mountains, volcanoes, lakes, and rivers. As it spans the equator, the region is predominantly tropical in climate.

Africa is the second-largest continent in the world, located in the southwestern part of the Eastern Hemisphere, straddling the equator. Africa is a plateau continent with vast areas, where high plateaus at elevations of 500-1000 meters account for more than 60% of the continent's area, and it possesses numerous mountains, volcanoes, lakes, and rivers. Due to its location spanning the equator, it has primarily a tropical climate with high temperatures, little rainfall, and dry conditions, with an average annual temperature across the continent above 20°C. Africa, with its rich natural resources, has well-developed agriculture, and many countries are famous for coffee production, such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, with Tanzania being known as the "gentleman of coffee."

In the 19th century, when Tanzania was a German colony, Germans introduced coffee and planted it in the Bukoba region. However, the local Haya people were unwilling to replace food crops with coffee trees, resulting in slow development of the coffee industry.

After World War I, control of this region transferred to the British. Even though the British planted over 10 million coffee seedlings in Bukoba, they also faced conflicts with the Haya people, resulting in seedlings being uprooted and the coffee industry still failing to develop well. Consequently, coffee cultivation began to shift to the Chagga region.

By 1961, after Tanzania's independence, focus shifted to the coffee industry. Starting from the 1990s, Tanzania's coffee industry underwent a series of reforms. However, in the late 1990s, it was attacked by coffee leaf rust disease, causing a significant reduction in coffee production in northern Tanzania. As a result, coffee cultivation once again shifted to the southern regions and the Mount Kilimanjaro area. Thanks to the country's terrain and climate, coffee has now become Tanzania's main agricultural economic crop.

Tanzania's Geography and Climate

Tanzania is located in eastern Africa, south of the equator. The country's terrain is higher in the northwest and lower in the southeast. The eastern coastal area consists of lowlands, while the western plateau occupies half of the country's total area. The East African Rift Valley splits into eastern and western branches from Lake Malawi, running north-south through the country. In the northeast lies Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa.

Due to its proximity to the equator, the eastern coast and some inland lowlands have a tropical savanna climate, while the western inland plateau has a tropical highland climate, with average annual temperatures between 21°C-26°C. Although the country receives little rainfall, with 80% of areas receiving less than 1000 millimeters annually, Tanzania has numerous rivers and lakes, providing abundant water resources.

Tanzania Coffee Growing Regions

Tanzania's coffee cultivation is currently divided into nine growing regions, with relatively well-known ones being Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Ruvuma, Mbeya, Tarime, and Kigoma.

Among these, Kilimanjaro is the most famous. Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain on the entire African continent, mainly composed of three dormant volcanoes: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira, with the highest peak reaching 5895 meters. Coffee is grown on the mountain slopes at elevations of 1050-2500 meters. The high altitude, volcanic soil, and pure meltwater sources make this the most suitable area for coffee cultivation. FrontStreet Coffee offers a washed Typica from the Kilimanjaro region, which tastes gently acidic with flavors of citrus, berries, honey, and nuts, with a soft, tea-like mouthfeel and overall balance.

In addition, many other coffee regions possess excellent quality, such as Kigoma. This region is named after its regional capital, Kigoma City, located in the northwestern part of the country, near Burundi and Lake Tanganyika.

Lake Tanganyika provides rich natural resources, with beautiful coastal scenery, pleasant climate, and lush vegetation, including extensive banana and oil palm plantations. These plants provide shade and wind protection for coffee trees. Additionally, aquatic resources are abundant, enabling the production of many impressive coffees. However, the local coffee industry is still in its early stages. In recent years, the government has begun to invest heavily in this region to support the development of agriculture, fisheries, and other industries.