TANZANIA – Eastern African producers showcase their best coffees

Dodoma – Coffee growers, investors and researchers gathered in Arusha on Wednesday for the 3rd African Fine Coffee Conference & Exhibition. The conference features internationally renowned speakers and coffee professionals from around the world discussing a wide range of topics of interest to the coffee community.
“We are discussing issues related to coffee industry globally, but the conference will be so much focused on eastern Africa where the emphasis now is on specialty coffee,” Leslie Omari, chairman of the Eastern African Fine Coffee Association, the organiser of the event, said at the beginning of the three-day meeting.
Although the region grows premium quality coffee, local consumption is very low, Tanzania’s Vice President Ali Shein said while opening the conference.
“Coffee consumption in Tanzania and Kenya is only 2 percent of its production, while Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda and other Member countries is less than 1 percent. It is only in Ethiopia where coffee consumption is 50 percent of its production,” Shein said.
“We should find it appropriate and an opportune time to launch a major campaign to encourage coffee drinking in this region,” Shein said.

About EAFCA

EAFCA is an association of coffee producers, processors, marketing people and organisations in the ten Eastern and Southern African countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as others from outside Africa. Membership thus includes processors, associations, roasters, dealers, retailers, and coffee professionals from all over the world.

The vision of EAFCA is “improving the quality of life through the quality of coffee.
The mission of EAFCA is to establish and promote partnerships and networks amongst those participating and having an interest in quality coffee production, processing and marketing in the Eastern Africa coffee-growing region.