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Day 23 - Tanzania \ Arusha

Brother of Mine

Kenya’s less well-known neighbour produces an astoundingly similar-tasting coffee in a somewhat similar landscape. Coffee is marketed by both an auction system organised by the Tanzania Coffee Board (TCB) and direct sale.

Arabica seedlings were first introduced to the country from Réunion Island (then known as Bourbon) and planted in the Bayamoyo and Mogoro regions (fairly close to Dar Es Salaam) and were later established as a successful commercial crop in 1893 on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro by German colonizers.

Today, coffee is cultivated in practically all the highland regions of the country. Wild coffee species are still being discovered in Tanzania – most recently Coffea kihansiensis in the Udzungwa Mountains. Both Arabica (harvested July-December and wet processed) and Robusta (harvested April-November and processed using the natural method) are cultivated and the main growing areas are Mara, Kilimanjaro, Ruvuma, Mbeya, Kigoma, Arusha, Manyara, Bukoba and Kagera (where both Robusta and Arabica are grown) – though some regions are shrinking due to climate change and urban sprawl.

About This Roaster

We have been inspired by many things in our lives, but the two most important things that led to the BOM you know and love is our family, and how they nurtured our love of food.

Growing up on the south coast of England in the 80’s meant everyone took every excuse for a community gathering. Our lives were shaped by street parties, fetes and get-togethers. We knew our neighbours and the community we lived in like an extended family. Not to say our actual family wasn’t large enough! Our childhoods were full of forest explorations, where we’d build dens in the mediocre weather and explored nature. The often-grey skies never put us off doing anything, the woods was our happy place where we’d play in the fresh air and outdoors.