Tanzania produces between 30,000 and 40,000 tons of coffee annually, mainly Arabica (70%) but also Robusta (30%). Coffee accounts for 3.3% of the country’s exports, making it the second largest agricultural export after tobacco. The main buyers are Japan (with the prized Kilimanjaro coffee label), Italy, and the United States. Coffee farming provides employment for 400,000 families, and the vast majority of farms are small-scale.

The harvest takes place from October to February.

Robusta coffee was introduced to Tanzania from Ethiopia in the 16th century and was used as a stimulant by the Haya people of the northwest. It was the Germans who introduced Arabica during colonial times, prompting the Chagga people to begin trading it. The British later expanded the coffee production network. After the country’s independence, all coffee was sold by two cooperatives in Moshi and Bukoba before being auctioned at the Moshi coffee market. In 1990, the privatization of the coffee industry led to an increase in production.

Locally, Tanzanians tend to consume tea, which is cheaper than coffee, though local coffee consumption continues to rise.