The first coffee grown in the Kilimanjaro region was planted by Catholic missionaries in Kilema at the end of the 19th Century. Throughout the 20th century, western demand for coffee grew and as a result cultivation spread through many regions of Tanzania. 

Cherries are picked ripe with repeated sweeps of the same plot occurring every couple of weeks or so. If not taken to a local collection processing centre, known as a CPU,  beans are pulped and fermented at home to prevent spoilage before being taken by the cooperative as cherry. Here it is processed and collated before being transported in parchment and offered for sale through the Tanzanian Coffee Board, which distributes samples to exporting companies and auctions the lots. Once bought, the coffee is further ‘milled’ by Mambo’s facility in Morogoro which means any defects are removed, the beans are laser colour sorted, hand-picked if needed and then bagged.