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U.S. Ambassador visits Terranova
Coffee Farm
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The U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Carmen Martinez, visited Terranova Estates on April 17, 2005 and was highly impressed with the manner in which the farm owner, Colin Street, grows and processes the top grade coffee which he sells to Starbucks. Terranova is the first coffee farmer in Zambia to sell coffee to America’s - and the world's - most popular coffee chain.
She arrived at the farm around 11:45 AM after traveling more than 120 kilometers to Mazabuka district, south of the capital Lusaka. Terranova grows 250 hectares of coffee and now supplies in excess of 100 tons of coffee to Starbucks every year. Ambassador Martinez was the first to present to Colin and his wife Alison, the specialized Starbuck coffee packet, which she purchased during her recent visit to the USA. The 8 oz. packet costs $14.
After a hearty lunch hosted by Terranova, the Ambassador and her team (who included several journalists from Lusaka) were taken around the farm and the wet processing facilities. The Ambassador was eager to learn how the coffee was grown and processed.
Earlier, before the tour of the farm, the Ambassador and her team were taken to the Terranova School, located within the farm, which has 340 pupils and 10 teachers. The headmaster, Mr. Innocent Muluwe, told the Ambassador that the school takes in pupils from farm workers and the surrounding community. The school has a special relationship with Woodward Academy, a private school in Atlanta, Georgia, which recently contributed over $25,000 for building classrooms and a library. Ambassador Martinez accepted an invitation from Terranova to commission the library which will be completed and stocked with books in a few months time. Terranova also supports a local clinic and contributes to wildlife management in the Lower Zambezi National Park and to Chikankata Hospital, one of the region’s leading AIDS research facilities.
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