Zambian Coffee: Northern Highlands Arabica

Zambia is famous for copper, Victoria Falls and wildlife, not coffee. Yet for a few decades the country built a serious Arabica sector, modeled on Kenya’s, on the cool highlands of its Northern Province. Zambian coffee peaked at roughly 6,500 tonnes in the 2004/05 harvest, then collapsed to around 180 tonnes by 2015. Today a small number of estates, mostly along the Muchinga escarpment, keep the origin alive and are experimenting with new varieties and processing.

Here is how coffee came to Zambia, why it nearly disappeared, where it grows and how it tastes.

Key takeaways

• Settler farmers grew coffee around Mbala before 1950; the modern industry began in the 1970s as Zambia sought to diversify away from copper.
• Production peaked around 6,500 tonnes in 2004/05 and fell to about 180 tonnes by 2015.
• Almost all coffee grows in the Northern Province, mostly above 1,200 m, around Kasama, Mbala, Nakonde and Isoka.
• Zambian law permits only Arabica for commercial cultivation; most lots are fully washed.

In this article

1. A short history of Zambian coffee
2. Boom and bust: why production collapsed
3. Where Zambian coffee grows
4. What Zambian coffee tastes like
5. Zambia and its coffee neighbors
6. FAQ

A short history of Zambian coffee

A University of Zambia history of the Kateshi and Ngoli estates traces this arc: pilot schemes, a government parastatal that struggled with management and money, and finally private owners who kept the estates running. The study concludes that the estates can produce high-quality coffee if properly organized, with local out-growers as a route to rural development.

Boom and bust: why production collapsed

The fall from 6,500 to about 180 tonnes in a decade is one of the sharpest declines of any coffee origin. Two causes stand out in industry accounts:

1. Funding dried up. Much of the sector had depended on development programs and estate financing. When that money ended, many operations could not keep going.
2. Drought. A drought in 2005/06 led many smallholders to uproot their coffee trees for other crops.

Underlying both was the problem the Kasama study describes: managerial and financial weaknesses in state-run agricultural projects. Coffee is a long-term crop; once trees are uprooted, it takes years to rebuild.

Where Zambian coffee grows

Nearly all Zambian coffee comes from the Northern Province and nearby highlands along the Muchinga escarpment, with a few estates near Serenje and Lusaka.

Most coffee grows above 1,200 m, and the best lots come from above 1,500 m. The harvest runs from about May to September, in the long dry season, which helps with drying but makes irrigation important. Because Zambia is landlocked, its coffee usually travels overland to the port of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania before shipping.

Varieties and processing

• Arabica only: Zambia’s Coffee Act permits only Arabica for commercial cultivation.
• Traditional varieties: SL34, a Kenyan selection, and Catimor types, which are resistant to leaf rust.
• New plantings: F1 hybrid Starmaya and rust-resistant Marsellesa are now being planted commercially.
• Processing: mostly fully washed, with some farms experimenting with naturals.

Our guide to coffee varieties explains SL34 and Catimor, and coffee processing methods compares washed and natural.

What Zambian coffee tastes like

Washed Zambian coffees are generally clean and balanced, with medium to good acidity and medium body. Profiles range from citrus and fruit to chocolate and caramel, sometimes with a touch of spice. Newer varieties grown at higher estates have been described with cocoa and caramel notes.

Zambia does not yet have a signature flavor identity the way Kenya or Ethiopia does, which is part of its appeal for curious drinkers: each lot is a small discovery. Brew it as a pour-over or in a French press at about 1:16 to see its balance.

How to brew a washed African lot like Zambia’s

Taste it black first, then compare with a milk drink; balanced washed coffees often shine both ways.

Zambia and its coffee neighbors

Zambia’s coffee country sits next to two better-known origins. Nakonde sits on the Tanzanian border, not far from the Mbeya highlands, and Zambian growers drew on Kenya’s systems and varieties. If you want to taste the region while Zambian lots remain rare, start with its neighbors:

• Tanzania Mbeya: grown by small cooperatives at up to 1,900 m, with pear, jasmine and strawberry notes.
• Kenya Nyeri: SL28 and SL34 varieties, bright citrus acidity and florals.
• African Kahawa Blend: a medium-dark blend of African coffees with toffee, red fruit and black currant.

Feel Espresso does not currently sell Zambian coffee. For more on the region, read our guides to Tanzanian coffee and Kenyan coffee.

Zambian coffee FAQ

Does Zambia grow coffee?

Yes, on a small scale. Almost all of it is Arabica from the Northern Province highlands.

Why did Zambian coffee production fall?

Industry accounts point to the end of funding programs and a 2005/06 drought that led smallholders to uproot trees, on top of long-standing management problems at state-run estates.

Is Zambian coffee good?

Washed lots are typically clean and balanced, and the University of Zambia study of the Kasama estates concluded they can produce high-quality coffee.

When is the coffee harvest in Zambia?

Roughly May to September, during the dry season.

Sources

1. Zambia coffee origin, Algrano.
2. Mbalazi C. A history of coffee growing in Zambia: the case of Kateshi and Ngoli estates in Kasama district, 1967 to 2012, University of Zambia.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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