Tree nursery: The estate grows it own seedlings. The seeds are planted in well-prepared shaded beds. After 3 months the seedlings are transplanted into polythene pots where they grow on for 7-11 months before they are big enough to be planted out. There are currently 17,000 trees growing in the nursery, but the estate will need 1.25 million over the next 10 years

Coffee planting: coffee trees are planted throughout the two rainy seasons. First the land is marked out with pegs. The site for each tree is laid out in a straight line, and the distance between each carefully measured. The hole is prepared 2ft square, 2ft deep and filled with a mixture of soil and farmyard manure. Each tree is then planted by hand

Maize: planted at the beginning of the long rains in March-April. Land ploughed by tractor, roots and weeds cleared by hand. Straight lines laid out with string. Maize seeds planted by hand.

Beans: planted by hand between maize or coffee after the maize begins to germinate in April.

Weeding: All crops need frequent weeding. The maize has to be weeded twice during its growth from March to the harvest in September. It is weeded by hand. The coffee areas are weeded by hand or using a small tractor that weeds between the rows.

Pruning: Coffee trees will produce crops for over 100 years but they must be pruned carefully every year. The estate has trained three pruners itself.

Harvesting coffee: The main harvest is from June-September, but coffee can flower three times per year and so smaller crops can be picked at other times. Supplementary irrigation allows the time of flowering and harvesting to be regulated. The beans are harvested by hand.

Harvesting maize and beans: in September and October, also harvested by hand.

Harvesting bananas: Trees produce fruit approx.9 months after being planted. The
Bananas are picked throughout the year.

Harvesting lemon grass: can be harvested after 9 months. The grass-like plant is cut and then left to regrow

Harvesting moringa trees: need to reach maturity.

Irrigation: The coffee trees must be watered regularly (sometimes once in two weeks) during the dry season, especially from September to November. The water is brought along cement-lined furrows from the rivers, and directed along the lines of trees to fill a small basin around each tree (furrow irrigation).

Processing and marketing: After the coffee is picked it is brought to the estate factory. The 'cherries' are pulped to remove the soft outer layer from the bean. They are fermented in water for 2-3 days, then washed and dried on sieves for 10-11 days until they are down to 12-13% humidity. They are then bagged and sent to TCCC for milling and sale. At present this work is done by hand, but the estate is renovating the extensive factory built by previous German owners, ready for the full crop of 20 kgs per day expected in about 3 years. The beans are sold to private exporters in Moshi. It is marketed as Columbian Mild coffee to Europe, USA and Japan

Animal husbandry: one full-time worker cares for the pigs. Workers are currently being trained in bee-keeping.