From South Africa’s Odd Jobs to Coffee Farming Success in Zimbabwe
Talent Sabani had left Zimbabwe to find work to support his young family. But he soon found surprising success in coffee farming closer to home.
Talent Sabani had left his home country of Zimbabwe to find better ways to support his young family. He took irregular jobs in South Africa and sent back money as often as possible to his wife, Melody, and their three children.
Then his friends and family started telling him about a new opportunity back in Zimbabwe. They had recently begun earning more income than ever from growing and selling coffee.
Talent was intrigued. Eager to supplement his family’s income, he decided to plant 1,800 coffee trees near his home in Zimbabwe.
A Family Rooted in Coffee
Talent’s parents, Simon and Rhoda, had joined the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program in 2019. With training and support from TechnoServe agronomists, they grew their farm to 5,600 coffee trees by the end of 2022. That year, they delivered an amount of export-standard coffee that earned them $4,000—nearly double the average annual income in Zimbabwe.
That success inspired Talent to make the bold decision to move back to Zimbabwe full-time. He joined the AAA program himself, and learned how to improve the quality and quantity of his coffee—particularly through the environmentally friendly farming techniques known as “regenerative agriculture.”
Planting a Future
By 2022, Talent was earning over $2,000 from his coffee harvest. That figure more than doubled by 2024, when his crop yields improved, and he netted $4,600.
With this new income, Talent bought a much-needed car for his family and even purchased another vehicle to start a transport side business. He also helped his parents to build a better house, and invested in irrigation infrastructure on his farm.
The ability to sell more and better coffee at higher prices changed his mind about opportunities in his community. “Coffee is a high-paying crop,” he said. “With coffee, you will not go wrong.”
Building Community Impact
Now relying on a steady income from his coffee that is well above his previous earnings, Talent is hoping to send his children to better schools. He says he would also like to spread the wealth, employing more people from the local community to work on his farm. In the long term, Talent is saving up to build a better home for his own family and to purchase a truck that will help local farmers deliver their harvests to the area’s coffee mill facility.
Only 34 years old himself, Talent is inspiring other people—especially youth—to start planting coffee as well. From the days when he said he “wasted time” doing menial jobs in South Africa, he is now becoming a young leader in the community.
“I am encouraging more and more people to grow coffee,” he said. “I wish all the youths who are migrating to South Africa looking for greener pastures and those who are involved in illegal gold mining activities could simply turn to coffee farming and make money.”
