About the Process

Arusha, northern Tanzania, is famed for its high-quality coffee. Located in this border region near Kenya, Mondul Coffee and Burka Coffe are particularly well-regarded, with clients in Europe and Japan singing their praises. Over the decades, these estates have honed their production techniques and implemented effective quality control systems while also working in harmony with nature. In 2017, Mondul joined Burka, and the two estates have been under the same management since. Together, they employ a total of 500 permanent workers. And the man at the center of this large organization is general manager Dean Peterson.

Originally from Arusha, Dean is well-versed in the ins and outs of the local community. He holds a diverse range of responsibilities at the estates, including farm operations, agronomy, staffing, sales, financing, and even important decisions like facility investment. Prior to 2016, Dean worked in the tourism industry, but has since transitioned to the coffee industry.

Mondul Coffee Estates are one of the few coffee farms where every permanent member of staff lives on site. According to them: “We provide our employees and their families with free and secure housing, medical services, pension lands, sports facilities and free schooling. Once a year, during harvest time, up to 250 pickers from neighbouring villages traditionally help our fieldworkers fulfil the immense task of handpicking the ripe cherries”.

Green coffee platform Typica spoke with him to learn more about his motivations for this career change and his goals in the coffee industry.

Learn more here:
https://global.typica.jp/narratives/producers/dean-peterson/