Neel Vohora is a third-generation Tanzanian of Indian heritage, and his family has been in the Tanzanian coffee business since the end of the second World War. The family export business based in Arusha has more than 60 years experience in the country.

Since 1971, the Vohora’s have owned about 1000 acres of farmland on the southern exterior slopes of the Ngorongoro caldera near the town of Karatu in Tanzania’s lush rift valley. The farms possess Rainforest Alliance certificate, and the family and their 50+ full-time employees on the farm have done a remarkable job of upkeep and preservation of natural beauty while also running a thriving coffee business. They are diversifying into Macadamia, provide temporary housing for harvest labor, and even supply land on the farm for local smallholders to grow beans – a mutually beneficial crop as the legumes fix nitrogen in the soil, a critical step in a healthy cycle of crops.

Neel’s sister Kavita runs the dry mill, roasters, and export business from Arusha, a two-hour drive away from the farms. Their father, Ajai, lives in nearby Nairobi, Kenya, and is still very much involved in the business of exporting coffee as well. Kavita is a licensed Q-grader, a meticulous cupper and quality agent, a lively companion for a glass of wine, and a new mother. She keeps a small army of pets around the office, including terriers and ducks. Neel, an excellent cook and a knowledgeable farmer with a persistent drive to experiment, has staffed the estate with experienced management. He’s also fond of dogs and has a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback that stays on the farm.

The coffees the Vohora family produce achieve consistently high quality from year-to-year despite a number of unique challenges. Water shortages prompted new rainwater basins at critical high points on the farm a few years ago. Animal damage of the coffee trees is frequent and traumatic – usually, it’s the water buffalo that are most destructive in herds, though the occasional elephant can be heard at night, making its way through the forest. Lastly, and probably most concerningly, Tanzania has struggled to properly support farmers of all sizes. An already difficult crop made unnecessarily more precarious by an inconsistent support structure, corrupt bureaucracy, and frequent delays at hot and humid ports would be enough to dissuade all but the most persistent of farmers.