As a real-world extension to an I&S project on the historical narrative of coffee, AISM student journalists visited the Barista Coffee Roasters in Marracuene and found out there is much more to the coffee they roast and sell than meets the eye. Their mission to grow the coffee industry here in our host country, which will galvanise the work of local women farmers and future generations of their families. By Alex, Molly and Bilane Last week the Buffalo Blog visited El Barista Coffee Roasters to speak to husband and wife team Riana and Jenaro Lopez, who run the roastery and coffee shop. Riana is the Chairperson at MCC Mattioli Coffee Company SA (which includes coffee brands Cafè Vumba and Cafè de Manica) and Jenaro is President of Amocafe and Managing Director of Café de Manica. Coffee is roasted, packaged and sold at the coffee shop, but produced in Manica Province in the north of the country, with women farmers taking centre stage. Manica province is one of the only areas in Mozambique that can cultivate and nurture the growth of coffee beans. The green beans are brought from Manica and roasted in-house at El Barista. “We wanted to set up something that would help communities”, says Riana Lopez, as she talks about the goals of the coffee project. “Coffee is a way to provide a crop that can sustainably improve their lives and their families' lives.” Riana makes the point that “without these women we would have no business and without this business these women would have a less sustainable future for their family.” The women are given enough seedlings to plant one hectare (enough for 2500 trees) and are then given more as they harvest more. Each woman knows that the longer and harder they work, the larger the profit they will earn, since there are given guarantees that their beans will be bought. The first time they harvest will only come after two or three years, but then the amount doubles every harvest after that. Riana and Jenaro do not plan on stopping here and are setting their sights high for the Mozambican coffee industry as a whole.
“We would like to export Mozambican coffee. Coffee drinkers are excited about a new origin...and in five years, we will have a large amount of coffee that will go beyond the local market”, says Riana. But does Mozambique have what it takes to be a major player in the global coffee market? According to the team at Barista, it does: “You have a big enough area to plant in, enough people to plant and in five years people will see that this is a product that can be cultivated in this country and people will give value to it.” Mozambique is set to become the next big player in the coffee industry. Watch out Ethiopia, Mozambique won't be behind the scenes for too much longer!
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A beautiful eco lodge located on the dunes of the Dovela village in southern Mozambique. Reporting by Polly When we think of Mozambique there's a high chance the first thing that comes to mind are the wide range of beaches. Ponta, Tofo, Vilanculos and Pumene are some of the most popular beaches in Mozambique, but there are so many more. Inharrime is a town just under two hours away from Tofo and near it is the Dovela village, which leads to one of the most underrated resorts in Mozambique: Dunes de Dovela. The lodge was constructed by childhood friends Thomas and Fred “who have always shared a lifelong dream of creating a project.” When Thomas first visited Mozambique while living in South Africa he believed he had found the perfect place to develop the project of their dreams. So from 2007 until early 2011 they worked extremely hard and made those dreams come true: “a sustainable and luxurious nature oasis that would conserve rather than detract from its glorious surroundings”, according to the Dovela website. You may ask yourself, what makes Dunes so unique? Alex, a woman who left her life in Paris behind in order to start a new one in the resort, has now been living there for almost 15 years and here is what she had to say: “I guess that what makes Dunes so unique depends on everyone's taste and everyone's sensibility. For some, it will be the chance to be alone on a beach, for others the paths through the still preserved forest and others the possibility to walk through the village as if it was theirs. For me, what makes Dunes unique is that it has been built (and now run) with people from the community and that this small company is useful for the village.” Another unique thing about the lodge is the quality of activities offered. Although we are used to finding ocean safaris and diving courses at the typical beach resort, in Dunes you get the opportunity to choose one of many guided nature walks through the dunes or village, learning more about Mozambique and its culture. If this doesn't interest you, you can try kayaking through the Poelela lagoon near the village, and enjoy a relaxing day with clear blue waters. In addition, snorkeling in the natural rock pools created during low tide is still a beautiful way of spending your time at the resort. Even If you prefer just relaxing on the beach, then Dunes is the perfect place for you, as the beach is always quiet and peaceful and, if you need it, a built up shade will await you. The cuisine at the resort is also a highly recommended experience. Alexandra, together with Hilario and Veronica, create wonders in the kitchen. The three do their best to create delicious meals twice a day inspired by a Mozambican and French fusion. Almost everything they serve is exquisitely homemade, all the way from bread to their fantastic macarons and passionfruit tarts. As Alex describes it their goal is to “give a nice experience (taste and freshness) to the guests, local products for spreading more cash in the area and having a lesser impact on the environment. The three objectives are at the same level” This means enjoying freshly caught lobster and other seafood as well as a wide range of fresh fruit desserts or local vegetable tarts and salads. And you can enjoy all of this whilst having a charming view of the Indian ocean. During whale season binoculars are around, but even without them, you will be quick to spot many whales breaching in the sparkling ocean. Dunes de Dovela is only one of the many hidden treasures of Mozambique waiting to be discovered. To get more information about the eco lodge visit the their website.
All images used with the permission of Dunes de Dovela. |
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