The territory of Tanzania was occupied first by the Germans in 1888 and then from 1916 by the English until the announcement of the republic of Tanzania in 1964. Today Tanzania remains one of the poorer countries of the world. For most families, the basis of life lies in agriculture. Crops like tea, cotton and coffee account for most exported goods. Additionally, tourism steadily becomes another important source of income.

The first coffee crops were introduced to the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro by German missionaries, amongst them Ludwig Krapf and Johannes Rebmann, who are originally from Tübingen in Germany. Today, a city partnership between Tübingen and Moshi, situated on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, are a link between the past and today. 

For many years coffee was a sign of wealth in the Kilimanjaro region, however, as a result of the decline in the world prices of coffee farmers have since switched to other crops local to the region. The ‚Tübinger Stadtkaffee‘, a fairly traded organic coffee shipped and sold from Moshi, aims to tackle the issue of low pricing trades. 

The melting of Mount Kilimajaro’s  glacier, a result of climate change, poses a new challenge on the region. Therefore there are plenty of reasons and starting points for new partnerships and contacts.