Tanzania Acaia Hills - Pacamara

The history of coffee in northern Tanzania dates back to the 19th century. Coffee trees were introduced to Northern Tanzania from Réunion Island, near Madagascar, and immigrants from Germany, the occupying power at the time, developed the industry. Leon’s grandparents were immigrants who came to Tanzania from Greece around the early 1900s and made a living from coffee production. Leon is the third generation of the family. The family’s house is located on the outskirts of Arusha, near the Kilimanjaro International Airport. His grandfather and father mostly grew coffee in its surrounding plantations, but the land was not suitable for producing high-quality coffee due to its low altitude. Leon learned about the concept of specialty coffee in the 2000s and started looking for lands at high altitudes that could produce higher-quality coffee. It was around this time that Leon met his current business partner, Mark Stell, at the 2005 EAFCA exhibition (currently known as AFCA). Mark is the fo