When the cool mist settles over the Mbinga highlands and the red cherries shine against the green leaves, it signals the start of the coffee harvest season.

In Mbinga, harvesting is still a hands-on tradition. Families rise early, walking into their coffee gardens with woven baskets. Only the ripest red cherries are carefully handpicked – one by one – to ensure quality. It is patient, meticulous work, often done by entire households working together, with laughter and songs echoing through the hillsides.

After picking, cherries are carried in sacks or baskets to small washing stations where they are pulped the same day. Farmers then ferment and wash the beans, spreading them on raised African beds to sun-dry under the Mbinga sky. Each day, beans are turned by hand to ensure even drying, protected from sudden rains by tarps or makeshift shelters.

This behind-the-scenes effort gives Mbinga coffee its distinct flavor – bright acidity, fruity sweetness, and chocolate notes. But beyond flavor, the harvest is also a season of hope. For many families, every basket of coffee cherries represents school fees for children, healthcare, and daily sustenance.

When you sip Mbinga coffee, you’re tasting not just a drink, but the care, heritage, and hard work of thousands of smallholder farmers who keep this tradition alive year after year.