Tanzania PB Northern Burka Estate (GP)

The Burka Estates, which includes Burka and Selian, is one of Tanzania’s oldest and largest specialty green coffee producers. Located at the base of Mt. Meru in northern Tanzania, the mountain provides the area with more rainfall and an ideal climate for growing specialty coffee. Burka Estate gets its name from the 2 large natural springs that are found on the farm and supply water to the farm and neighboring communities. Burka Estate was established in 1899 by a German settler, Mr. Rahn, and shortly thereafter the first coffee trees were planted. After World War I, the estate was declared “Enemy Property,” and it became part of the new British Protectorate in Tanganyika. In 1929, a group of Swiss investors bought the farm; their ownership has continued to the present through independence from Great Britain and the merging of Tanganyika and Zanzibar into present day Tanzania. Today, Burka Estate employs over 200 permanent staff with an additional 2,000 daily staff during the harvest season. Permanent staff and their families are provided with housing, medical services, and schooling for their children. Burka Coffee Estates produce shade grown Arabica coffee using an eco-friendly and responsible approach to the environment and their neighboring communities.