What Burka Coffee Estates does

Burka Coffee Estates, founded in 1899 and headquartered on Dodoma Road in Arusha, Tanzania, is one of the country's oldest and largest coffee farms. The estate shade-grows Colombian Mild Arabica coffee at 1,400 meters altitude on mineral-rich volcanic soils at the base of Mount Meru, with full traceability from seed through fermenting, sun-drying, and milling stages. A proprietary in-house coffee quality laboratory performs daily cupping and Q-grading of every lot, with nearly all coffees certified for export and meeting stringent international standards. The company operates a sustainable agroforestry system that preserves 118 hectares of pristine forest around Burka springs, supports biodiversity, and houses permanent staff in the purpose-built Selian Village.

The company's core product is certified-for-export green Arabica specialty coffee with a layered flavour profile of floral, fruity, and citrus notes atop a silky, balanced body. Its primary revenue stream is B2B wholesale of green coffee to specialty roasters, importers, and traders worldwide, acquired through website-based inquiry forms and sample requests (quote-based pricing with no public price list). A secondary, complementary channel operates through Burka Coffee Roasters, a related brand selling freshly roasted coffee to local Tanzanian consumers. The estate also offers guided farm tours with cupping sessions, and partners with Lush Cottages to provide on-site accommodation for agritourism stays.

Commercially, Burka combines 125+ years of farming heritage with a single-estate, vertically controlled production model — from field to Q-graded export lot — and leverages the related Burka Coffee Roasters brand plus agritourism as ancillary revenue lines. Distribution is export-certification-enabled for global B2B buyers and domestic for local consumers. The firm is a private, founder/family-controlled Tanzanian limited company with no disclosed external investors, acquisitions, or funding rounds.

Name

Burka Coffee Estates

Legal name

Burka Coffee Estates Ltd.

Website

https://burkacoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1899

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Burka Coffee Estates, founded in 1899 in Arusha, Tanzania, is one of the country's oldest and largest coffee farms, producing certified-for-export specialty shade-grown Arabica green coffee at 1,400m altitude for global specialty roasters, with ancillary domestic retail and agritourism.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Production

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Cacao Plantations (Coffee, Cocoa) (AFAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tea, Coffee & Cocoa Farming (Beverage Specialty Crops) (AFAGAGAG), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD), Coffee, Tea & Cacao Experiences (Roastery Tours, Tastings) (THAJAGAH), Coffee (Roasted, Ground, Whole Bean) (CRADAHAG)

Keywords

• Specialty Arabica coffee
• Green coffee wholesale
• Shade-grown coffee farming
• Q-graded specialty coffee
• Coffee estate agritourism

Headquarters

HQ city

Arusha

HQ country

Tanzania

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Green Coffee Wholesale (B2B): Burka Coffee Estates operates as a specialty coffee producer selling green (unroasted) coffee wholesale to roasters, importers, and specialty coffee buyers worldwide. Coffees are certified for export and prized for their layered flavour profile of floral, fruity, and citrus notes with a silky, balanced body and good acidity. This is the primary revenue stream.
2. Agritourism Experiences: The estate generates ancillary revenue through guided farm tours with cupping sessions and overnight stays at Lush Cottages (a third-party partner). These experiences serve both relationship-building with potential buyers and direct consumer engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Burka Coffee Estates is one of Tanzania's oldest and largest coffee farms, producing shade-grown Colombian Mild Arabica specialty coffee at 1,400 meters altitude on mineral-rich volcanic soils near Mount Meru. The estate sells certified-for-export green coffee wholesale to specialty roasters and importers worldwide, supported by an in-house coffee quality laboratory performing daily cupping and Q-grading. A related brand, Burka Coffee Roasters, serves locally roasted coffee to Tanzanian consumers, while the estate also offers guided farm tours with cupping sessions as an experiential channel.

Product overview

Burka Coffee Estates operates as a single unified estate producing green specialty coffee for export, complemented by its related brand Burka Coffee Roasters for domestically sold roasted coffee. The company offers green coffee samples to buyers and provides experiential farm tours with cupping sessions. Quality is maintained through meticulous control from field to export, with daily Q-grading in their own coffee quality lab.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Burka Coffee Roasters: Separate brand for freshly roasted coffee tailored to local coffee lovers' tastes, operating from the estate.

Products and services

• Burka Coffee Estates Green Coffee Shade-grown Colombian Mild Arabica specialty green coffee produced at 1,400 meters altitude in mineral-rich volcanic soils, certified for export with floral, fruity, and citrus flavour notes atop a silky, balanced body with good acidity. Sold wholesale to specialty roasters, importers, and green coffee buyers worldwide through inquiry and sample request forms.
• Burka Coffee Roasters Related brand offering freshly roasted specialty coffee tailored to individual taste preferences, operating as the domestic retail and roasting arm for Tanzanian consumers and local coffee lovers.
• Farm Tours with Cupping Sessions Guided behind-the-scenes farm tours with coffee cupping sessions offered to visitors, providing an immersive experience of the estate's coffee production process. Tours serve as a relationship-building and demand-generation channel for potential B2B buyers and coffee enthusiasts, with overnight stays facilitated through a partnership with Lush Cottages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Almost all coffees are certified for export, meeting the most stringent international quality standards.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Burka Coffee RoasterscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBurka Coffee Roasters is a related brand (accessible at burka.coffee) that serves locally roasted coffee to Tanzanian consumers. It acts as the domestic retail and roasting arm of the estate, distributing freshly roasted coffee to local coffee lovers who are directed from the main estate website. The relationship is a mutual one — the estate supplies green coffee to the roaster, and the roaster drives local consumer demand back to the estate brand.
• Lush CottagesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLush Cottages (lushcottages.com) is a third-party partner that provides on-site accommodation for visitors to Burka Coffee Estates. The estate recommends Lush Cottages to guests wishing to book an immersive stay. This partnership supports the agritourism experience without a formal commercial agreement described in the source.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Coffee Quality Institute: Industry body administering Q-grader certification. Comparable to Burka through shared Q-grading standards and quality-control frameworks that underpin Burka's daily cupping and grading lab.

Emerging players

• Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty coffee roaster with strong direct-trade sourcing relationships with single-estate producers. Comparable as a downstream customer archetype for Burka's green coffee, with overlapping values around traceability and sustainability.

Broad incumbents

• Volcafe (ED&F Man): Global green coffee merchant sourcing from origins across Africa, including Tanzania. Comparable as a counterparty in the green coffee export channel, though Volcafe operates at trader scale rather than as a single estate.
• Neumann Kaffee Gruppe: World's largest green coffee trader and producer group with origin operations across East Africa. Comparable to Burka as a green-coffee supplier to roasters, but operates at vastly greater scale and across multiple origins.

Direct peers

• Hacienda La Esmeralda: Iconic Panamanian estate famous for Geisha varietal and premium pricing. Directly comparable as a single-origin specialty coffee estate whose name commands roaster demand and price premiums driven by terroir and quality.
• Long Miles Coffee: Burundi-based specialty coffee producer operating washing stations and an estate model, focused on traceability and direct relationships with roasters. Comparable to Burka as an African specialty producer with strong farmer-community and traceability narrative.
• Finca El Injerto: Multi-generation Guatemalan specialty coffee estate producing award-winning washed and natural Arabicas for global specialty buyers. Comparable to Burka as a family-owned, quality-focused single-origin estate with a long heritage.
• Daterra Coffee: Large Brazilian specialty coffee estate with sustainability and quality-focused practices, serving global roasters with traceable lots. Comparable to Burka as a scaled estate producer competing in the premium specialty segment.
• Karatu Coffee Estate: Tanzanian specialty coffee estate producing premium Arabica for export. Directly comparable as a domestic Tanzanian peer competing for the same regional terroir and specialty export customers.
• Gesha Village Estate: Single-estate specialty Arabica producer in Ethiopia known for traceable, high-cupping lots. Directly comparable to Burka as a heritage estate selling premium green coffee to specialty roasters globally with a focus on provenance and quality.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burka Coffee Estates