Taste Th e Mountain

KNCU (1984) LT D. Company Profile

Kilimanjaro Native Cooperative Union (1984) is a cooperative union registered under the cooperative societies Act of 1982 to produce and export Mild Arabica coffee from Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania.

We serve small coffee producer members on the slopes of highest mountain in Africa, Kilimanjaro in the districts of Rombo, Moshi Rural, Hai and Siha. At first KNCU was registered in Tanzania in 1933 under the Co-operatives Societies Ordinance of 1932, together with its 11 affiliated member societies. Currently KNCU serves about 90 affiliate societies and members totaling over 70,000. Since its establishment KNCU (1984) LTD, has been playing a vital role of transforming coffee farming communities by gaining better means to livelihood thus contributing to alleviate poverty in rural areas. This has been achieved by ensuring our coffee farmers are sufficed with advanced extension services as a unique mechanism to produce high quality and quantity Mild Arabica coffee in volcanic soil of Mount Kilimanjaro to compete in the World market by fetching reasonable price.

KNCU is a certified member of Fair Trade (FLO) since 1993, Naturland in 2004, and Institute Marketecology (IMO) since 2004 for our organic coffee. These certifications verify the highest level of quality of our coffee which is safe for human consumption in terms of health and environmental friendly produced. Basically, the produced coffee adheres to International Standards for Green Economy and Development and guarantees the end customer that, the coffee sold under Fair Trade conditions contributes to the well being of the co-operative members and their communities.

Our vision:

To become an efficient, effective and sustainable Cooperative Union in the coffee industry.

Our mission:

  • To provide efficient services to its primary cooperative society members in production, collection, processing and marketing of coffee. In order to be realized, KNCU focuses on the following key functions:

  • Provide crop finance to member primary cooperative societies

  • Provide market information on coffee prices to member primary cooperative societies and help them to secure optimal prices

  • Collect, transport, grade, process, package and market members’ coffee

  • Provide information on input prices and seek the minimal prices for the best quality inputs

  • Supply farm equipment and inputs (seedlings, fertilizers and chemicals) to member primary cooperative societies

  • Provide cooperative education and extension services to member primary cooperative societies

Our mission:

KNCU Fair Trade Premium Project for Self Help Initiatives

  • Fair Trade premiums have been a prime support to the cooperatives to develop self-help and livelihood improvements of their members. Premiums have been used by KNCU to her members to:

  • Establish an education fund to provide scholarships for members’ OVC

  • Finance farming of organic coffee in ten primary cooperatives

  • Finance a coffee quality improvement programme

  • Establish a coffee seedlings nursery to supply farmers with new seedlings