Ngila Estate, Tanzania
Perched on the edge of the cloud forest surrounding Tanzania’s spectacular Ngorongoro Crater, Ngila Estate is a coffee farm with a remarkable history and an extraordinary natural setting.
Coffee has been cultivated here since the 1920s. In 1992, the estate was purchased by the Meyer family, who established Ngila Estate in the form it has today.
 
The farm covers around 100 hectares, surrounded by an environment rich in wildlife and biodiversity. It borders a 50-hectare forest corridor that provides an important route for wildlife, including elephants, allowing them to reach traditional migration paths and mineral-rich caves. Nearby, the Ngila River supports seasonal reforestation projects, helping to reduce erosion and encourage the regeneration of the surrounding ecosystem.
Life on the estate is closely connected to the wildlife around it. Larger animals such as elephants and buffalo are kept away from the coffee plantations by fencing, protecting both the animals and the coffee trees. Meanwhile, smaller wildlife — including antelope, wild boar, dik-diks and, occasionally, leopards — can move freely through the estate.
 
Supporting the people behind the coffee
Ngila Estate is also committed to the people who make its coffee possible.
The estate provides its workers with fair wages, medical support, education funding and skills training. Many of the approximately 100 permanent employees have been part of the Ngila community for more than 30 years, creating a remarkable continuity of knowledge and experience.
During harvest, the estate provides additional employment for more than 250 seasonal workers, bringing valuable income and opportunities to the surrounding community.
 
For us, Ngila represents something special: exceptional coffee grown in a place where farming, people and the natural environment are deeply connected.