Mount Sunzu Coffee is a specialty coffee farm and producer operating in northern Zambia, near the country's highest mountain, Mount Sunzu. Founded in 2018, the company is dedicated to revolutionising coffee production through sustainable farming practices, cutting-edge technology, and a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Mount Sunzu aims to set a new standard for modern agriculture by combining high-quality coffee production with positive community impact and climate-smart practices.
Sustainability for Mount Sunzu refers to coffee production that is considerate of both the environment it grows in, and the people that depend on it as a livelihood. For example: Not only has Mount Sunzu created 300 jobs in the local region, they also provide pension funds and health insurance for employees and their families, benefits which give workers more long term security. To reduce CO2 emissions, Mount Sunzu has installed solar panels with a 92 kW energy capacity. 600 of Mount Sunzu’s 780 hectare plot of land is reserved to protect the native Miombo forest and Dambo wetlands.
History of Coffee in Zambia
Coffee was first planted in Zambia in 1978, on what is now Olam’s Ngoli Estate. Overseen by a very energetic, active and supportive ZCGA (Zambia Coffee Growers’ Association), there was a rapid expansion in planting in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s with national production reaching just short of 7,000mt.
Then the global coffee price crisis of 1998 to 2004 hit, and hard. Most of the estates required significant investment and infrastructure, including the installation of irrigation systems which could not be made. Low prices forced most estates to switch to other crops. However, since Olam acquired the northern estates in 2012, significant investment has led to a rejuvenation of the Zambian coffee sector. The coffee estate company NCCL is now the largest coffee producer in the country and the largest single employer in Zambia.