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Mbeya · Tanzania

Utengule Coffee

Since 1919 · Swiss missionaries (1919), Hans Faessler (1986 acquisition)

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Overview

Utengule Coffee Estate sits at 1,400 meters on the southern slopes of the Mbeya range in Southern Tanzania, on the edge of the East African Rift Valley. The farm was founded in 1919 by Swiss missionaries and acquired in 1986 by Swiss-born Hans Faessler, who has run the 300-hectare property — about 130 hectares of which is in coffee — alongside an attached 16-room lodge with bungalows, a restaurant, and even a helicopter pad. The Dar es Salaam roastery was established in 2005 as domestic Tanzanian coffee consumption began to rise, with Probat drum-roasted batches of 52 kilograms cycled every 20 minutes. Utengule supplies more than 350 cafés, restaurants, and hotels across mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar, including the Zanzibar Coffee House (a rooftop hotel and café opened by Faessler in 2005 in historic Stone Town). Famous Bourbon-variety beans grown on volcanic soil are also exported through Sucafina and other partners.

Known for

  • Estate founded 1919 by Swiss missionaries; acquired 1986 by Hans Faessler
  • Dar es Salaam roastery established 2005 — Probat drum, 52kg batches every 20 minutes
  • 300-hectare estate / 130 hectares in coffee at 1,400 masl on Mbeya range
  • Distributes to 350+ Tanzanian cafés, restaurants, and hotels
  • Sister Zanzibar Coffee House opened 2005 in Stone Town with rooftop café and hotel

Why it matters

Utengule is Tanzania's most established producer-roaster and one of the few large East African estates to commit half its output to the domestic market with the same quality grade it exports. The Dar es Salaam roastery's 2005 launch coincided with — and arguably catalyzed — the emergence of a domestic Tanzanian specialty coffee category, and the company's distribution to 350+ outlets gives it the broadest national footprint of any specialty coffee brand in the country. Estate-grown Bourbon from Utengule is also a recurring component of premium Tanzania Peaberry export blends.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
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color sorting
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roaster machine
Probat drum (52kg batches every 20 minutes)
filter equipment
Drip / chorreador-style hand brews
cupping frequency
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roastery location
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (farm: Mbeya, Southern Tanzania)
espresso equipment
null
annual volume tonnes
130–150 tonnes/year (estate production)

Café

Zanzibar Coffee House, Stone Town, Zanzibar

Sources

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