Mount Manas, THE TRUE NATURE OF ESPRESSO

Mount Manaslu - the mountain of souls is the home of our supreme espresso. It is aged in an old Bordeaux barrel. 100% Arabica beans of the varieties of Typica, Bourbon and Caturra make up its rare nature. It is pure and full of quality, as not many pests survive the growing altitude. Fermenting the coffee cherries with ice-cold Himalayan meltwater gives it its fruity notes without losing its gentle sweetness. Coffee cultivation provides small farmers from Nepal with independence and income. Meaningful craftsmanship, over generations in nature, is something so precious it is hard to imagine. Nourish yourself with this elemental force of creation.

The coffee project of Sambhav Nepal (Switzerland)
and the collaboration of Melanie Kreuzer & Willy Zemp The coffee sommelier.

Many houses in Nepal have not yet been rebuilt since the devastating earthquake in 2015. Many families in the mountain villages around the epicenter still live in temporary shelters. In order to provide the mountain farmers with an income so that they can rebuild their houses independently, Melanie Kreuzer (President of Sambhav Nepal Switzerland) was looking for a solution.
Instead of donating money, she wanted to enable long-term perspectives, in an area where the people concerned are already professionals in what is needed for this project: Agriculture. For generations, families in the mountain villages have lived as farmers. Tilling their fields and producing what they need to live - without earning any money. This has always worked - but since the quake, the situation has changed. They need money to rebuild their house.

The coffee gardens

Vocational opportunities are making new possibilities possible for villagers. For example, urgently needed infrastructure such as rebuilding one's own house, thus eliminating the need for migration. The mountain people have been farmers for generations. This project enables them to use their crafts and skills in a meaningful way and to live independently. We support them so that they can use their own resources to send their children to school and offer them prospects in their homeland; something so valuable that it is hard to imagine.

Readiness

For a project to be successful in the long term, it needs the willingness of everyone involved. When Melanie Kreuzer asked the farmers (all of whom she knows personally) if they would like to cultivate coffee, their eyes sparkled. Her craft as a farmer, which has matured to perfection, is suddenly in demand - this not only provides future prospects, but also boosts self-esteem.

Situation

Himalayan coffee has been available on the world market for 25 years. It is valued for its special, full aroma and traded as a rarity due to its low availability. Thanks to the altitude of cultivation, where many pests do not survive, its quality is unique. The meltwater of the Himalayas also contributes to the quality. The cost of a coffee tree is 10 francs (full cost calculation *). A farmer needs at least 500 trees to be able to produce sensibly. These will give him after three to four years, depending on the yield, 100 kilograms of green beans, which he can sell. The effort and return for the farmer is worthwhile and he can use the money wisely.

*The coffee cultivation

The first goal was to grow a total of 15,000 trees, managed by 20 independent organic farmers. The processing and quality assurance of the green beans will be ensured by a company to be established. It will take three to four years from planting to the first harvest. To finance this start-up phase, which includes the trees, irrigation system, land irrigation, processing center, training, quality assurance, organic fertilizers and certifications, Sambhav expects a full cost of 10 francs per tree.

Interested in adopting a coffee tree?

Sambhav Nepal (Switzerland) offers you a sponsorship for coffee trees. In doing so, you will receive a certificate and will be informed about the progress of the project, its development until the moment when the family can build their house. For more info, contact melanie@sambhavnepal.ch

Roasted coffee from this project

This special and very rare coffee is refined in our roasting factory in Doppleschwand to the top coffee. As "Alaya Pipo" and "Alaya Original" you can get this coffee directly from Sambhav Nepal (Switzerland) or as our own interpretation of its special character from our roastery under the name "Mountain of Souls"