Iolanda Almeida, a Mozambican coffeepreneur supporting local coffee farmers — Lionesses of Africa

What inspired you to start your company?

I am an agronomic engineer with experience in local seed production and achieved my master degree in local development and tourism management in 2012. Since then, as my grandparents are barred at Ibo island, I found the opportunity to preserve the local and native species (Coffea racemosa Lour and Coffea zanguebariae Lour.) and link all the Ibo Village heritage and story, with the tourism, by making an innovative marriage called “agritourism based in Ibo Coffee”. So, I started to promote it in the local fairs, then started to buy from the local farmers for them to continue protecting the culture, guarantee their market and have some profit.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

The Ibo Coffee is unique, native, and has a low caffeine content, and all the value chain involves local people and preserves the environment. The aroma and taste are also unique and in one package we also offer the local history and heritage. It is principally found growing naturally in areas of coral stone on the island. In the past it was recognized for its unique qualities particularly in relation to taste and smell and was awarded the Gold Medal Certificate at a food exhibition in Lisbon as far back as 1906. The annual harvest is an important and exciting time of the year for both locals and tourists. Most of the coffee is used locally but a small portion is dried and stored using traditional methods and sold beyond the island where demand for this wonderful coffee far outstrips supply.

The ultimate aim of our business is to benefit the economies of the local communities on the island. It is the women in these communities that are the focus of the industry and its development will enable them to contribute to their own household incomes and in turn the economy of the island. The challenge facing them is to get motivated to reinstate productivity levels to those which were achieved in the past whilst improving growing, harvesting, and processing techniques to produce in quantity a coffee of high quality whilst maintaining the unique traditions and environment of the island.

The islanders have a unique opportunity to develop a tourist trail focused on a combination of a revitalized coffee industry, together with stories of its historical development including many old structures and buildings in a unique environment.  When all considered together, this provides an exciting challenge to develop their economy.