Arabica specialty coffee; Tanzania from the village of Mahenge.

The Sochaccy coffee roastery is home to coffee from Tanzania's southwestern Ruvuma region. The region is named after the Rovuma River basin, which cuts through Tanzania, Mozambique and Malawi. The region stretches between Lake Nyassa and the Mbwemburu River basin, and is part of the Great Rift of Africa. Its high altitude, mineral-rich volcanic soil, and tropical climate make it an ideal area for growing specialty coffee.

The coffee we offer at Sochaccy.co coffee shop comes from a cooperative of farmers called Mahenge AMCOS (Agriculture Marketing Cooperative Society) based in Mbinga. Agricultural cooperatives in Africa allow small family farms to unite forces in building the infrastructure necessary for coffee processing and export. On the one hand, the cooperative raises funds for the construction of processing stations called wet mills, and on the other, it ensures the development of its members' skills by providing ongoing training to farmers. The role of the cooperative continues to grow and care for the farmers is expanding; in 2013 AMCOS cooperative built a school in Mahenge for the children of its members, in addition, it has also succeeded in establishing a health care subsidy system.

The coffee processing point in Mahenge is designed to enable the removal of the berry skins from the coffee plant, immediately after harvesting, so that the freshly harvested green coffee is ready for export quite quickly. Green coffee can be roasted up to 10-15 years after harvest, although the best coffee is from the last harvest. Green coffee ages and loses flavor and aroma as it ages, just like any agricultural product. Coffee aged for many years also means a lower price. Coffee is processed as close as possible to where it is grown and roasted as close as possible to the final consumer. That is why at Sochaccy Coffee Roastery we roast coffee on the day of shipment.

AMCOS cooperative was established in 1963. And quite quickly it received a Fair Trade certificate. Currently the cooperative already has 540 members who grow coffee on their plantations, which average size is only 1-1.5 hectares. The coffee plants are planted between banana trees, which give them the necessary shade on the one hand, and provide shelter for numerous species of birds on the other. No chemicals or artificial fertilizers are used during cultivation. The coffee berries are picked by hand, which already at this stage allows a preliminary sorting, selecting only the ripest fruits. The plantations are located at an altitude of 1,700 to 1,860 meters above sea level. After harvesting, the coffee is processed using the Fully Washed method. The coffee comes from the harvest between June and November 2020, and was sun dried for 13 to 16 days after washing.

The coffee greets us with an intense sweet aroma, the flavor bouquet starts with intense floral notes, a delicate clean citrus acidity with a touch of black currant. The coffee is perfect for classic espresso in a espresso machine, but also offers excellent qualities when prepared in a coffee machine.

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