The Grivas family took up stewardship of GDM Farm over 20 years ago, and as the second generation to manage one of the few Tanzanian-owned coffee estates, Richard Grivas has his sights set on improving quality and the local community through the farm. Over 200 seasonal workers are part of GDM’s operation, and the farm also supports a network of smallholders living in the surrounding vicinity.
Only around 5% of Tanzania’s green coffee comes from large estates. GDM Farm spans 400 hectares at an altitude of 1980msl in the southern highlands near the Mbozi meteorite that was discovered in the 1930s.
Tanzanian Mbeya Mwangoka Farm
- FLAVOR: Strawberry, White Grape, Orange, Cane Sugar
- BODY: Medium
- ACIDITY: Bright
- PROCESS: Natural
GDM Farm produces 300 metric tons of washed Arabica and 100 metric tons of natural Arabica green coffee annually. Most of Tanzania’s coffee volume is wash processed, but estates like GDM Farm have the resources to carry out uncommon methods like naturals to further explore the flavor profiles that Tanzanian green coffee has to offer.
Workers harvest ripe cherries on the estate and deliver them to the pulping unit and drying station on-site. The cherries are hand-sorted to separate perfectly ripe, overripe, and underripe fruits before they’re set out to dry on raised beds. It can take up to 21 days to dry a harvest, depending on the weather, and the cherries are turned often to ensure even drying and good quality. GDM Farm also has a milling station on the estate, where the dried cherries go to be prepped for export.