The Commonage is an idea of a big communtiy that has come together to make a positive impact in the world. All people beneficially share tangible and intangible resources of the region to create something remarkable. It brings together many carefully selected parts to create a local and global system of synergies.

In detail, it’s a complex net of small, individual steps and actions every one of us is taking.
In the heart of The Commonage there is Ntchisi Forest Lodge. Directly located next to the last indigenous rainforest of Malawi: Ntchisi Forest. It is home to many species, plants and animals. It is the source of water. The source of life. It is the main reason for tourists to come to the lodge. That’s why we, you and the communities have a common interest to protect the forest.

To successfully protect the rainforest, one has to understand the deep-rooted threats of the rainforest. Poverty is the main driver of deforestation in the region of Ntchisi, Malawi. People lack other sources of income and go in to the forest to cut down trees to sell it on black markets to have at least some food for their families. Climate change is affecting the way of life of every farmer. Rainfalls do not come that regularly anymore and pests like the armyworm threatening up to 25% of the yearly harvest. Combined with a big growth of population, the private fields are no longer big enough to feed everyone. So, to stop deforestation one has to create new sources of income. Luckily enough Ntchisi District is a coffee growing area with a high potential for specialty coffee. Luckily enough our background is specialty coffee. More precisely sourcing, roasting and selling specialty coffee in Germany. www.roesterei-vier.de Luckily enough specialty coffee is a high valued commodity, that is grown under indigenous shade trees. By promoting quality coffee farming practices, we give new sources of income to the farmers of the region, protect the forest and plant many trees in the private fields of smallholders. This is where the idea of The Commonage becomes global and where you can be part of the solution. Because with every buying decision you do, you decide in which world you wanna live in. With our coffee roastery in Germany we are happy to take all the coffee of area. It is our common goal to improve the quality of coffee every year to get higher prices for the coffee. To do so we are working closely with the Ntchisi Rainforest Coffee Cooperative and the Green Coffee Sourcer of Rösterei Vier. Actually, we are the Green Coffee Sourcer of Rösterei Vier.
To further strengthen the local economy we have started our own coffee raostery at The Commonage and started roasting and marketing the local coffee within Malawi. This keeps all value-adding steps in the country.

The Lodge gives you the chance to stay with us overnight, enjoy the rainforest, relax, recharge and get in contact with the people and products of the region. We have integrated the lodge into The Commonage in a way that it also benefits the local communities. We source as much as possible from local farmers and function as a guaranteed market for them. Our aim is to source everything locally, but it is a long way to go. To reach that goal and to meet our high standards on goods and services we train farmers on their techniques and enable small business to improve with a 0% micro loan project. In addition to that, we use local products to produce higher valued products such as marmalade, chutneys and fresh drinks - that you can enjoy and take home. This sort of mini marketplace is an important step for the farmers to show them, that their products have a real value.
These are only a few examples of a holistic approach we are following.