Malawi coffee

The coffee industry in Malawi owes its existence to an enterprising Scottish missionary. In 1878, Dr James Buchanan took a shrub from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh to what was then called Nyasaland and planted it in Blantyre, in the south of the country. Conditions quickly proved to be ideal for cultivating coffee and by the end of the 19th century, it was well established as an important crop. The friendship between Scotland and Malawi goes back as far as 1859 when Dr David Livingstone was given a warm welcome by Malawians when he first entered their country. The Caledonian connections live on through the Scotland Malawi Partnership which fosters trade and other links between the countries.