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Coffee farmers from Malawi
Cyrus Msowoya
Cyrus, now 64, founded Matenda Coffee Farms on family land in 2014. His father and grandfather had already tried to grow coffee there – but both failed due to the difficult conditions. Cyrus, however, firmly believed that something special could grow on this soil.
He invested years in research, training, and exchanging ideas with other growers. With patience, dedication, and unwavering faith, he transformed the farm step by step into a successful project. His two daughters were by his side from the very beginning – today they have taken over the responsibility and are carrying on his legacy.
For Cyrus, coffee is more than a product. It's a way to rewrite his family's story, carry tradition into the future, and put Malawi on the world map of specialty coffee.
The next generation
Lizzie & Tawoya Msowoya
Lizzie and Tawonga are the daughters of Cyrus Msowoya – and today the heart and soul of Matenda Coffee Farms . I met them as a real power couple at a farmers market not far from the capital, Lilongwe.
Lizzie is a doctor, a mother of a young daughter, and manages the business side of the company alongside her medical practice. She embodies precision, caring nature, and clear organization. Tawonga is a social scientist and a gender and development expert committed to the community and gender equality. She brings her vision of social change directly to the company.
Together, they passionately continue to run the farm. For them, coffee is not just a product – it is an expression of their family history, a way to promote sustainable development in Malawi, and a symbol of the strength of women who combine tradition and the future.
Sustainable cocoa farming with women's power
Wezi Mzumara
Wezi, the founder of Kwanza Cocoa , began her journey in 2011 with a few cacao plants on her parents' land in Luwazi, near Lake Malawi. Together with her father and mother, she transformed these first steps into a family project – driven by passion and the belief that cacao from Malawi deserves a special place in the world.
Following their initial successes, they planted over 1,000 trees in 2015. During the pandemic, Wezi began making chocolate in her kitchen – experiments soon turned into a passion. In 2023, she finally founded a small manufactory where exquisite chocolates have been created ever since.
Today, Wezi combines family tradition with sustainable innovation. Their "bean-to-bar" and "farm-to-bar" approach embodies not only meticulous care but also the essence of Malawi: a product that connects the land, the culture, and the people.