This big bean from Salimba Estate in Zimbabwe was an accident. In 1955 in a small farming town only locally known for producing milk and tea, coffee seedlings were planted in a gamble that paid off. Salimba soon started producing coffee for the regional market. Coffee typically grows further north, and good coffee at higher elevations. Yet over the generations, Salimba has become a powerhouse of coffee production and survived somehow one of the most considerable economic depressions in the world.
Modern Zimbabwe, like many of its neighbors in Africa, must be politically, socially, and economically viewed alongside the impact of its recent colonial past.
When sourcing a commodity internationally, one must take into account the entire scope of the supply chain. Yet malignancies cannot, and should not be glanced over. In 1980, Robert Mugabe came to power amongst a swell of popular defiance over the status quo. Through his terms, the country descended into economic, governmental, human rights, and social turmoil.
Now Mugabe is gone, and Salimba has survived. And to focus back on the coffee, Salimba has sorted out only the largest, heartiest beans for this lot. Thier planting, selection, processing, and sorting are among the best in the country. The notes of this coffee stand out: malic (apple) adicity is forward, big milk chocolate flavor and body, finished with cane sugar.
An important part of our sourcing philosophy is investing in emerging economies and origins. In Zimbabwe, livelihoods are coming back. Coffee is coming back. And now Zimbabwe is coming back.