2008 East Africa Trip

We took the short hop from Nairobi, flying below the summit of mount Kilimanjaro to our left and banking right to land on the tiny strip of tarmac that is Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Our first stop was Moshi a town in the foothills of mount Kilimanjaro but significant as the home of Tanzanias weekly coffee auction. Here coffee from farms across the country is auctioned to the highest bidder – usually international traders with instructions from overseas clients or their head office.

As we watched lot after lot fall under the electronic ‘hammer’ I couldn’t help thinking that this was a soulless way of buying coffee – I was looking forward to meeting our contact , assessing his coffee, his farm and whether Grumpy Mule should buy his coffee and offer it to the UK market.

After an hour we had seen enough and, stocked up with food and water, we set off for the Blackburn Estate some 300 Km west. The roads between Moshi and Arusha are excellent, well laid tarmac passing through small towns, usually with a police checkpoint (as Europeans we were always waved through, locals don’t usually fare quite so well….) We travelled along the hot dusty plain of the Rift Valley glimpsing all manner of animals from Giraffe to Elephant together with many Masai people in the brightly coloured clothes and the ubiquitous mobile ‘phone.

4 hours later we turned off the main road and headed out of the great rift valley and climbed  towards the Ngorongoro Conservation area. After half an hour we turned again, this time onto a dirt track towards the bush. We bumped and bounced our way through choking red dust and tracks riven with wheel ruts and eventually arrived at a barrier with a sentry box. After signing in we travelled higher and as the temperature cooled slightly, the vegetation became greener and we were travelling through coffee bushes, we had arrived at Michael and Tina Gehrkens Blackburn Estate! Arriving here was a welcome oasis of European calm after the hot African day.

As we made our introductions, Michael suggested a sundowner. Imagining a cold beer on the patio, I readily agreed but as Tina packed a large cool box and Michael collected his rifle I began to suspect yet more adventures. We climbed into Michaels 1963 short wheel base Landrover and set off through the farm. The farmhouse is located at 1740 meters above sea level and we climbed to about 1900 m before the coffee trees thinned out and the vegetation cleared.

In the distance, Michael pointed to a tree house ‘That is where we’ll have our sundowner’ he beamed. We heaved the cool box up the tree, cracked open the beers and waited. As darkness fell, the insects and wildlife broke into a chorus of whistles chirps and grunts and we glimpsed buffalo and one elephant ! what a way to source coffee !

The farm has been in Michaels family since 1931. After studying Economics at university  Michael moved from Germany in 1984 and Tina followed a short while later. At that time the farm covered 1000 hectares and grew some coffee but also grew wheat, spices and some flower seeds for export.

Gradually the farm has changed and Michael now only grows coffee, this takes up 100 ha. The remainder of the farm is devoted to some crops for the local villagers, together with wildlife conservation.  

Michael believes that the best way to grow coffee is to ensure that the farm and all its practices encourage, and work in harmony with, nature. With this in mind he has created a wildlife corridor to the east and west of the farm. This allows wildlife to move freely between the lowlands and the beautiful Ngorongoro conservation that borders the farm.

This has the added benefit that the animals don’t damage the crop as they move from one area to another…….  

The next day we visited the farm. The area is divided into ‘blocks’ which are natural divisions in the terrain, for example altitude, east or west facing, full or partial shade etc. This enables Michael to precisely control each area and produce the optimum conditions to grow the best possible coffee. From annual soil and leaf analysis to the measurement of exactly how much water is used in processing each kilo of green beans, this is the most scientific farm I have ever visited.

During our second night I was awoken by bellows and shouting, we were miles from anywhere so I decided to try and get more sleep but in the morning we went to see what all the commotion was about. Water is a scarce resource in Tanzania and the farm is supplied by an underground pipe from a highland source, this runs directly under the coffee bushes.

During the night a young elephant had listened for this running water and decided to crash through the precious coffee trees to dig up the pipe! The mud bath that he created was one thing but in the process he had damaged tens of trees and lost gallons of water. All around there was evidence of elephant – including giant footprints around the newly created mud hollow !

We met many of Michaels workers who seem genuinely happy – many have been with him for 20 years and live in the nearby village. Michael and Tina are great supporters of the local village school and they funded and help run a dispensary.

The care taken in growing the coffee is matched by the care in processing. The husband and wife team personally control each stage and the result, as we found out, is the most wonderful coffee. We have eventually chosen a unique peaberry and roasted to its potential, gives a lively and buttery aroma with winey, blackcurrant flavours and a lasting finish.

The Gehrkens are passionate conservationists and Michaels farming practices make him, in my experience, one of the most scientific, precise and environmentally aware coffee farmers in the world. It is a privilege to buy coffee from this fantastic estate and to offer it for sale in the UK. I really hope you enjoy drinking this fabulous coffee.   

Ian Balmforth