TANZANIA has been named Africa's top Robusta coffee producer after species from Ngara District Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Society (AMCOS) won the 2025 Taste of Harvest award given by the Africa Fine Coffees Association (AFCA).

Represented by Ubumwe Company Ltd, the farmers outperformed producers from Ethiopia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Ivory Coast.

Primus Kimaryo, Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) director general unveiled this when speaking at the award handover ceremony in Moshi Municipality yesterday, saying the win confirms Tanzania’s ability to produce world-class coffee.

"This is a major opportunity for us. We are proud of how the farmers have shown that Tanzania can produce premium coffee that meets global standards," he said.

The competition was judged by a panel of six experts from different countries during the Africa Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition in Dar es Salaam last month.

"Several large-scale estates participated, but Tanzania’s stood out because of its uniqueness. We will continue to educate farmers, improve coffee processing standards and encourage the use of Central Processing Units (CPUs) to avoid mixing coffee from different farms or AMCOS," Kimaryo noted.

He stressed that coffee should only be harvested when fully ripe and processed with clean water to preserve its quality.

Following the ceremony, TCB board chairperson Prof. Aurelia Kamuzora expressed her delight at Tanzania’s success.

"We want to learn from Ngara farmers and the company on how they’ve managed to produce coffee with such a distinct and authentic quality. Now is the time to focus on quality. Competing through quality will establish a global brand for Tanzanian coffee," she said.

She added that Tanzania must compete on quality, not identity.

"A country competes through the quality of its products, not by saying ‘We are Tanzanians.’ If the coffee isn’t high quality, it won’t succeed globally," she said.

Elisha Taramka, general manager of Ngara District AMCOS and director of Ubumwe Company, pledged to maintain high standards.

"We provide farmers with training during and outside the harvest season. We also educate them on the best coffee harvesting, processing, and storage practices," he said, adding that strict measures are in place for quality control.

"We fine and revoke membership of farmers who harvest unripe coffee. Last season, we imposed fines of 200,000/- with support from village governments and the district security committee," he disclosed.

Frank Mlay, TCB’s quality and marketing officer, explained that the competition began with a national round featuring 73 coffee samples from small- and large-scale producers.

"At the African level, Tanzania submitted five coffees in three categories: Robusta, washed Arabica, and natural Arabica. The competition was judged by six experts from Taiwan, China, Rwanda, and Egypt," Mlay said.