FLORENCE, Italy – Accademia del Caffè Espresso, the multi-purpose hub founded by La Marzocco for the promotion of coffee culture, launches its program of Coffee Plantation Trips. From July 2023, coffee afficionados will have the opportunity be able to join on Accademia’s first Coffee Plantation Trip. They will travel to Songwa, Tanzania, at the edge of the Rift Valley, for an immersive experience in one of the most interesting coffee producing area of the region.
Accademia del Caffè Espresso launches it program of Coffee Plantation Trips
The choice of flying to Songwa for this first coffee plantation trip is linked to the special value this place has for La Marzocco. Songwa Estates was established by La Marzocco, Hemro and Probat, with the common goal of bringing their employees and collaborators directly to the origins, allowing them to get to know the coffee supply chain better. Since 2007, the three companies have been sending employees and partners to Songwa, and have been supporting the local community.
Beginning in summer 2023, it will also be possible for people working in the coffee industry to experience the coffee of the Rift Valley first-hand.
This first journey is planned for 2nd-9th July, for a week-long deep-dive into local coffee culture: from the seed to green coffee, ready for export. The trip also includes a visit to a tea and a cocoa plantation, to encompass all aspects of local agriculture, economy and culture.
Massimo Battaglia, Coffee Research Leader at Accademia and leader of the Coffee Plantation Trip project, underlines the importance of such iniative for Accademia:
“It is the most straight-forward way to bring consumers and producers closer together, and to spark into coffee professionals a new light on coffee as a whole.
Baristas are the latest “spokepeople” of this agricultural product, grown in a plantation which is often many miles away from the place where it is consumed. We’d love to make them fall in love with the great work and commitment of producers, and eventually better present coffee, with all its shades, nuances and complexity.”
The next coffee plantation trip will be to Honduras in November.
To receive more details, and reserve your spot, please get in touch with Massimo.b@accademiaespresso.com and lavinia@accademiaespresso.com
More about Songwa Estates
At the edge of the East African Rift Valley, in the Mbeya region, in the south of Tanzania, there is an area renowned for coffee production. Hot summers and cold winters together with rich soil and seasonal rains create the perfect conditions for the cultivation of an excellent coffee bean. The famous Rift Valley Coffee originates here and grows on the farms of the Songwa Coffee Estate at 1500masl.
The Bourbon varieties that grow at Songwa are known for their velvety taste, for their rich body and low acidity. Their unique flavor comes in part from the nature of the soil which is rich in nutritive and mineral substances that have come to the surface from the depths of the earth over the course of millions of years thanks to the volcanic eruptions and hot springs.
Of the farm’s 500 hectares, only about 40% is cultivated. The remaining land is left uncultivated as a natural reserve which is home to a rich variety of plants and more than 150 species of birds.
In alignment with the Rainforest Alliance and Utz Kapeh standards, the farm is busy with relevant social and environmental activities aimed at improving the living conditions of not only the farm workers, but that of the greater community living in the adjacent village.
