Description Founded in the wake of Tanzania’s 2003 Cooperative Act, Iyenga AMCOS today represents 193 members and collects from just over 500 smallholder farmers. Most plots measure only 1–2 hectares, with none larger than 5, and nearly all are within walking distance of the washing station—though trucks and motorbikes run during harvest to ensure cherry is pulped within eight hours of picking. At harvest, the pulper runs from late afternoon until sundown. The government-granted Penagos UCBE 500 is eco-efficient and conserves water—a critical factor in this area, where seasonal dryness drives ongoing conversations about damming a local river or building a reservoir. Processing is meticulous: all cherry or parchment is hand-sorted, pulped, fermented for 10–12 hours, washed, and dried on raised beds for 7–10 days. Iyenga’s board has earned a reputation for capable management, pairing reliable collection services with strict pulping standards. More recently, they have set their sights on quality: in 2019, Iyenga won the Taste of Harvest competition with their AA and PB coffees. Together, we are now focused on expanding drying bed capacity—an essential step toward extending drying times and realizing the cooperative’s quality ambitions.
