Company description
The short version
We are launching a new Tanzanian specialty coffee company, sourcing directly from origin, roasting in-country, and building distribution into the East African premium market. We are looking for an experienced specialty coffee professional to lead the green-bean sourcing, develop the roast profiles, run production, and train the local team. The role is full-time, employed, based at our team headquarters in Usa River, northern Tanzania.
Tanzania is one of the world's most interesting coffee origins. Almost none of what gets drunk inside Tanzania today is Tanzanian. We are here to change that.
Who we are
The coffee business sits within an established East African group founded in 2008. Our other companies operate in renewable energy and adjacent sectors, together more than fourty people across Tanzania, the and some in South Africa. We have a strong operating record across East Africa, particularly with customers in remote and demanding settings where reliability is the whole job.
This means a few practical things for the role. You are not joining a startup with no infrastructure. There is a serious operational team behind you, an established commercial network, and founders who know how to run a business in Tanzania. What we don't have is coffee expertise. That's where you come in.
The full picture of what we are building, product range, market entry, brand, is something we share in conversation rather than in a public ad. The short version is that the gap is large, the customer base is real, and the moment is now.
Job description
The role
This is a build-from-the-ground-up role with real ownership. Roasting equipment is on its way, with flexibility for you to specify and shape the final set-up. Direct relationships with Tanzanian cooperatives and estates are starting to be built and you will lead them. The product range is being shaped now, and your input will define what ends up in the cup.
Sourcing
• Build and manage direct relationships with Tanzanian cooperatives and estates across the main growing regions,Kilimanjaro, Mbeya, Mbinga, and the Matengo Highlands.
• Cup, evaluate and select green coffee. Negotiate. Run sample logistics.
• Travel to origin within Tanzania regularly. We have the network and the vehicles to make this possible; you bring the palate and the protocol.
Roasting and product development
• Develop roast profiles across our product range.
• Develop a Tanzanian house blend that genuinely represents the country. We want a blend that earns its place, not a marketing exercise.
• Quality control: cupping protocols, batch records, traceability. We want the supply chain to hold up under any reasonable scrutiny.
Production
• Run the roastery day-to-day. Roasting schedule, packing, batch quality.
• Recruit and train local roasting and production staff. Build a team that can keep delivering when you are at origin or on the road.
• Work with our existing operations team on logistics, warehousing and distribution — they know how to get things across Tanzania.
Customer-facing work
• Introduce the product to commercial customers alongside the founders. You bring the coffee credibility, we bring the relationships.
• Train customer-side staff at flagship installations. Confidence in barista training is a strong plus and will shape how the role grows.
Who you probably are
• Passion for and experience in specialty coffee, with serious roasting experience as Head Roaster, Production Manager, or equivalent at a respected small-to-mid-size roaster.
• Real green-bean sourcing experience, origin trips, supplier relationships, sample evaluation. Ideally exposure to East African origins, but not required.
• Q-grader certification or equivalent cupping credentials are a strong plus.
• Confident running a roastery: equipment, schedules, quality control, batch records.
• Comfortable training people. The best person for this role enjoys teaching as much as they enjoy the craft itself.
• Strong English. Swahili is a plus but not required — you will pick up what you need.
• Capacity to train baristas at customer sites is a meaningful plus.
Who this role is not for
This is a real job in a real place, with a long horizon. We would rather be honest about it than have you discover it three months in.
• Not for someone who needs an established specialty coffee community around them to do their best work. There are a small number of good roasters in Tanzania, but you will mostly be on your own at this technical level. Some people thrive on that. Others don't.
• Not for someone romantic about origin without being practical about production. The role is roughly evenly split between cupping table and roastery floor. Both halves matter.
• Not for someone looking for a coffee-tourism gig with a Tanzanian veneer. We are building a serious business with serious targets.
• Not for someone allergic to the realities of building in East Africa. Things take longer than they should. Equipment arrives later than it should. Power and internet are not always cooperative. We have the infrastructure and the patience to handle it; you'll need both too.
What we offer
• Salary commensurate with experience. We will be straightforward about what we can offer once we know who you are.
• Housing provided in or near Usa River.
• One paid flight home per year.
• Work permit paid for. Reasonable contribution to relocation costs.
• The unusual privilege of building a coffee programme from green bean to cup, with full creative ownership and the backing of an established operations team.
• Real input on the final roastery build-out. The kit isn't fully decided yet.
• Founders who know how to close customers and a commercial network that's already in place.
• Tanzania. An origin country, a rich and complicated coffee history, and a way of life that suits a particular kind of person very well.
Compensation
this position is: salaried, $35,568* - $50,000
Work visa
This employer is willing to sponsor a work visa for international applicants
Application instructions
If you are not registered, you'll be prompted to do so. Don't worry, it's free!
Deadline
no deadline