KAGERA, Tanzania — A sustainability initiative by Jacobs Coffee is supporting coffee farmers in Tanzania’s Kagera Region to strengthen agricultural practices, improve financial resilience and develop new income-generating opportunities beyond coffee production.
Launched in 2023, the Wunderbar Project is part of Jacobs’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy. The initiative aims to equip farmers with the knowledge, skills and support needed to improve their livelihoods while building more resilient farming communities.
The project focuses on sustainable farming practices, financial management, business planning and income diversification. Through collaboration with local farmers, it seeks to strengthen farm productivity and help households develop more secure, long-term sources of income.
Beyond coffee production, the initiative is contributing to broader community activities and small-scale enterprises, according to project accounts.
For Jafari, coffee farming has provided an opportunity to establish a community gathering space that includes a football-viewing hub and supports small businesses. Helena has developed a network of women engaged in shared economic activities, while Aderina has diversified into dairy farming, improving food availability for her household.
Johanes has used proceeds from coffee harvests to pursue new business ventures, while Balagomwa is helping preserve agricultural knowledge by sharing farming practices through storytelling and song.
These experiences illustrate how agricultural initiatives can extend their benefits beyond individual farms, supporting community connections, entrepreneurship, women’s economic participation and household food security.
Building resilience beyond the coffee harvest
According to Jacobs, the Wunderbar Project reflects an approach to sustainability that places farmers and their communities at the centre of agricultural development.
Rather than focusing exclusively on coffee sourcing, the initiative combines knowledge-sharing and practical support to help farmers strengthen their enterprises and explore additional economic opportunities.
Domaine Rautenbach, Senior Brand Manager at Jacobs, said the project recognises the importance of investing in people as part of building sustainable agricultural supply chains.
“The Wunderbar Project is about recognising that sustainability starts with people. By working alongside farmers and investing in their knowledge, skills and communities, we are helping to build something that lasts far beyond a single harvest,” Rautenbach said.
“What makes this initiative truly powerful is that the transformation doesn’t come from us, it comes from the farmers themselves. Our role is to support that growth and help unlock its full potential,” Rautenbach added.
The initiative comes amid growing attention to the sustainability of agricultural supply chains and the livelihoods of the farmers who underpin global food and beverage production.
For coffee-growing communities, strengthening farm management, diversifying income and improving household food security can help reduce reliance on a single source of revenue. Such approaches may also contribute to greater resilience when agricultural production or market conditions become unpredictable.
However, the scale of the Wunderbar Project’s impact would be clearer with independently verified data on participating farmers, changes in household incomes, agricultural productivity and the sustainability of new enterprises.
For Jacobs, the project represents an effort to connect responsible coffee sourcing with community development, demonstrating how investment in farmers can support economic opportunities that extend beyond the crop itself.
The initiative’s longer-term significance will depend on whether the skills, enterprises and community networks it supports can remain viable over time, helping farmers build livelihoods that are both economically secure and environmentally sustainable.