TANZANIA Burka Estate AA

Description

Processing: Washed; SCA Score: 84 pts

Floral taste with notes of hibiscus, red berries, chocolate, and pleasant hints of vanilla.

Burka Estate is located on the outskirts of Arusha National Park, on the sheltered side of Mount Meru, just 80 kilometers west of Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest peak. Founded in 1899 by German settlers, the estate expanded with the acquisition of its neighbor, Selian Estate, in 1991. Although downtown Arusha is about 8 kilometers away, urban sprawl has brought the city close to the estate’s borders.

The first coffee trees were planted in 1918, and today the estate boasts around 1.3 million trees, most of which are shade-grown varietals. Additionally, 314 acres are reserved for forest, and another 250 acres are dedicated to natural grasslands.

The coffee estates employ approximately 200 permanent staff and 200 casual daily workers, but during harvest season, the number of workers involved in picking and processing can reach up to 5,000. All permanent employees are provided with housing on the estate grounds (across four distinct camps), and the minimum wage is set 20% above the government requirement. Contracts include social security and union membership, and a credit cooperative offers loans and guidance for education, health, and housing construction.

Each estate has a nursery educating over 100 children, and two primary schools serve more than 600 children from workers’ families and neighboring communities. A dedicated medical center with a nurse and dispensary is available to all employees, and the estate operates its own ambulance. There are also shops, sports facilities, churches, and a mosque.

Regular football matches are organized between estates and farms, along with staff barbecues and various celebrations. Workers receive free firewood from pruned coffee trees, and fruit and nut trees are cultivated around the staff villages.