The Zambia Bureau of Standards (Zabs) has certified Fecko Investment’s Usingini Upland Coffee, a development that unlocks export opportunities for the local coffee processing enterprise.
The accreditation, which Zabs said complies with the African Organisation for Standardisation requirements, certifies Usingini Upland Coffee products, including roasted coffee beans, ground coffee and ground coffee in filter bags, paving the way for formal exports.
This comes at a time when domestic coffee industry players are decrying continued smuggling, which has rendered the sector’s contribution to the economy almost insignificant because export proceeds are not tracked.
“In order to grant this certificate, Zabs has assessed and has verified the production process control implementation for the manufacture of the product(s) detailed above.
“Zabs performs these tasks periodically while the certificate is valid in accordance with the general scheme rules for the African Conformity Assessment Programme ECCO,” reads the certification document issued on April 30 2026.
In an interview, Fecko Investment Out-growers national coordinator Dominic Joseph confirmed the milestone, saying the attainment follows a process that includes standards training with regional bodies.
He said with a roasted coffee production capacity of approximately one metric tonne (1 000kg) per month, having tripled its output capacity from an initial 300kg per month, the certification strengthens the company’s standing on the international market.
Joseph said: “This is a recognition that we are an international brand. We are looking forward to continuing to grow and contribute to the national economy and local coffee industry.”
In a separate interview, Coffee Association of Malawi (Camal) secretary general Kondwani Nanchukwa described the certification as a breakthrough for Usingini coffee that could help formalise Malawi’s coffee exports.
“This gives Usingini Upland Coffee the wings to cross the borders of Malawi to many African countries.
“This certification makes the coffee acceptable within and beyond Africa,” Nanchukwa said.
Nanchukwa highlighted that persistent smuggling undermines coffee’s contribution to foreign exchange because much of the crop is moved across porous borders rather than exported formally.
Fecko Investment is a Malawian agribusiness that grows, processes, packages and exports Usingini Upland Coffee.
It operates on a small-to-medium scale, with a roasted coffee production capacity of approximately 1 000kg (one metric tonne) per month, having tripled its output capacity from an initial 300kg per month.
The company supports local smallholder out-grower farmers, promotes land restoration and tree planting, and is known for packaging its coffee in innovative tea-like filter bags.
Camal figures indicate that domestic prices of parchment coffee, or primary processed coffee, surged by 200 percent from K7 000 per kg in 2024 to K21 000 per kg at the end of 2025, but exports are affected by smuggling.
Data from the 2026 Malawi Government Annual Economic Report show that coffee export values have fluctuated in recent years, rising to $2.8 million (about K4.9 billion) in 2021, falling to $1.1 million (about K1.9 billion) in 2022, then rising to $1.6 million (about K2.8 billion) in 2023 and $3.4 million (about K6 billion) in 2024.
