Terms and Conditions

1. Introduction & Acceptance

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the website tumbukacoffee.com (the "Site") and any purchase of products from Tumbuka Coffee ("Tumbuka Coffee", "we", "us", or "our"), a specialty coffee micro-roastery based in Mauritius.

By browsing the Site, creating an account, adding items to your cart, placing an order, or otherwise using our services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Site or place an order.

These Terms apply to every visitor, registered user, and customer of the Site, whether purchasing as an individual consumer or on behalf of a business. We may update these Terms from time to time as described in Section 21 below; the version in force at the time you place an order will apply to that order.

2. Who We Are

Tumbuka Coffee is a specialty coffee micro-roastery operating from Grand Gaube, in the Northern region of Mauritius, and is operated by Tumbuka Roastery Ltd. Our business details are set out below.

In these Terms, "you" and "your" refer to the person accessing the Site, holding an account, or placing an order. References to "products" mean the roasted coffee and related merchandise offered for sale on the Site.

3. Eligibility

To place an order on the Site, you must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract under the laws of Mauritius. By placing an order, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements and that all information you provide to us is accurate, current, and complete.

We reserve the right to refuse service, terminate accounts, or cancel orders at our discretion if we reasonably believe a user does not meet these eligibility requirements or has provided false information.

4. Products, Descriptions & Availability

We take care to describe our coffee accurately, including origin, processing method, roast profile, and tasting notes. However, coffee is a natural agricultural product and minor variations in flavour, colour, weight, and appearance between batches are normal and do not constitute a defect.

Product images on the Site are for illustrative purposes. Packaging, labelling, and vintage/harvest details may vary from images shown, particularly as we roast in small batches and rotate seasonal origins.

All products are subject to availability. We make reasonable efforts to keep stock levels on the Site accurate, but we do not guarantee that a product shown as available will remain in stock at the time you complete your order.

We reserve the right to discontinue any product, limit order quantities (including to prevent commercial resale), and to correct product descriptions or pricing errors at any time without prior notice.

5. Prices & Currency

All prices displayed on the Site are shown in Mauritian Rupees (MUR) unless otherwise stated, and are quoted in the currency and amount that will be charged to your payment card at checkout.

Where applicable, prices include Value Added Tax (VAT) at the rate prescribed by Mauritian law. Delivery charges, where applicable, are shown separately at checkout before you confirm your order.

We reserve the right to change prices at any time. Changes will not affect orders that we have already confirmed in accordance with Section 6.

In the rare event that a product is listed at an incorrect price due to a typographical, technical, or pricing error, we reserve the right to cancel the order, refuse or cancel any orders placed for that product, and refund any amount already charged, whether or not the order has been confirmed.

6. Orders & Contract Formation

When you place an order, you are making an offer to purchase the products in your cart on these Terms. Adding items to your cart does not reserve stock.

Your receipt of an on-screen order confirmation or confirmation email is an acknowledgement that we have received your order; it does not, by itself, constitute our acceptance of your order. A binding contract of sale is formed only when we dispatch your order or send you a separate dispatch/shipping confirmation.

We reserve the right to refuse or cancel any order, in whole or in part, at any stage prior to dispatch, for reasons including but not limited to:

• The product being out of stock or discontinued
• Pricing or product description errors
• Suspected fraud, unauthorised, or illegal activity relating to the order or payment
• Failure of our payment processor or issuing bank to authorise payment
• Inability to deliver to the address supplied
• Order quantities inconsistent with normal retail/personal use

If we cancel an order after payment has been taken, we will notify you by email and issue a full refund to your original payment method within a reasonable time, and in any event no later than 14 days from cancellation.

7. Payment & Card Security

We accept payment by the methods displayed at checkout, which may include Visa and Mastercard debit/credit cards processed via our payment service provider, MIPS Ltd, integrated with our online store. Additional payment methods may be added or removed at any time.

All card payments are processed through a secure, PCI DSS-compliant payment gateway. Card details are entered directly into the payment processor's secure environment and are encrypted in transit; we do not see, collect, or store your full card number, expiry date, or security code on our servers.

Your card issuer may apply additional authentication steps (such as 3-D Secure/OTP verification) before authorising a transaction. We are not responsible for delays or declines caused by your card issuer's security checks.

Payment is charged in Mauritian Rupees (MUR) at the time your order is placed, unless otherwise indicated at checkout. If you pay using a card issued in a foreign currency, your bank may apply currency conversion and charge foreign transaction fees; these are outside our control and are governed by your agreement with your card issuer.

We reserve the right to carry out reasonable fraud and security checks on orders and to decline or delay processing an order where such checks give us reasonable cause for concern.

8. Shipping & Delivery

We currently deliver within Mauritius, including Rodrigues. Where international shipping is offered, this will be indicated at checkout together with applicable rates and any customs or import considerations, which are the responsibility of the recipient.

Orders are typically processed and dispatched within 1 to 3 business days of order confirmation, excluding public holidays. Estimated delivery times within Mauritius are 2 to 5 business days from dispatch, depending on the delivery address and courier availability. These timeframes are estimates only and are not guaranteed.

Delivery charges are calculated at checkout based on your delivery address and order size, and are shown in full before you confirm your order. We do not currently offer free delivery above a set order value; a delivery charge applies to all orders unless stated otherwise at checkout.

Risk in the products (including risk of loss or damage) passes to you upon delivery to the address you provided. Please inspect your order upon receipt and notify us promptly of any issues in accordance with Section 9.

We are not liable for delays in delivery caused by circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including courier delays, adverse weather, customs processing, or incorrect/incomplete delivery information provided by you. If you provide an incorrect or incomplete delivery address, you may be responsible for any additional costs of re-delivery.

9. Cancellations, Returns & Refunds

Order changes or cancellations: You may request to amend or cancel your order by contacting info@tumbukacoffee.com as soon as possible after placing it. We will accommodate such requests where the order has not yet been dispatched; once an order has been dispatched, it cannot be cancelled and the return process below will apply.

No returns for change of mind: Our coffee is a perishable, food-grade product that is roasted in small batches and sealed for freshness and hygiene at the time of packing. To the fullest extent permitted under Mauritian law, we do not accept returns, exchanges, or refunds because you change your mind, no longer want the product, or the product does not suit your personal taste, whether or not the packaging has been opened. Returns are only accepted where there is a genuine issue with the product, as set out below.

Faulty, damaged, or incorrect items: If your order arrives damaged, faulty, or different from what you ordered, please contact us at info@tumbukacoffee.com within 7 days of delivery, including your order number and photographs of the issue where possible. Once we have verified the issue, we will, at our discretion, offer a replacement, store credit, or a full refund, including reasonable return shipping costs where applicable.

Your statutory rights: Nothing in this Section limits or excludes any right you may have under the Sale of Goods Act or other Mauritian consumer protection legislation that cannot lawfully be excluded, including your right to receive goods that are of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described.

Refunds: Approved refunds will be issued to your original payment method within 14 days of us confirming approval of the return. Please note that your bank or card issuer may take additional time to reflect the refund on your statement.

Order errors and non-delivery: If your order does not arrive within a reasonable time of the estimated delivery window, or if you did not receive an order confirmation, please contact info@tumbukacoffee.com so we can investigate with our courier and payment provider before any refund or replacement is issued.

10. Intellectual Property

All content on the Site, including text, graphics, logos, images, product photography, and the Tumbuka Coffee name and branding, is owned by or licensed to Tumbuka Coffee and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may view, download, and print content from the Site for your own personal, non-commercial use only. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or otherwise exploit any content from the Site for commercial purposes without our prior written consent.

11. Acceptable Use

When using the Site, you agree not to:

• Use the Site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to our systems, accounts, or data
• Interfere with or disrupt the Site's security features or normal operation
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers) to extract data from the Site without our consent
• Provide false, inaccurate, or fraudulent order, payment, or account information
• Use another person's payment card or account without authorisation

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate access to the Site, cancel orders, and/or report activity to the relevant authorities, including our payment service provider and law enforcement, where we reasonably suspect a breach of this Section.

12. Third-Party Services

Our Site and checkout rely on trusted third-party service providers, including:

• Shopify: our e-commerce platform, hosting our online store, product catalogue, cart, and checkout.
• MIPS Ltd: our payment service provider, processing card payments securely on our behalf.
• Vercel: our website hosting provider and analytics platform.

Your use of payment services is also subject to the terms and privacy practices of these providers where applicable. Further detail on how these providers process your data is available in our Privacy Policy.

13. Warranties & Disclaimers

We supply products that comply with applicable food safety and consumer protection standards in Mauritius. Beyond this, and to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, or that any errors will be corrected. Nothing in this Section excludes or limits any statutory right that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under Mauritian law, including your rights under the Sale of Goods Act and consumer protection legislation.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Tumbuka Coffee shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the Site or your purchase of products.

Our total aggregate liability to you in connection with any order shall not exceed the total amount paid by you for that order.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded under the laws of Mauritius.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Tumbuka Coffee, its owner, and staff harmless from any claims, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your breach of these Terms, your misuse of the Site, or your violation of any applicable law or third-party right.

16. Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, cyclones, adverse weather, power or internet outages, courier or supply chain disruption, strikes, or government action.

17. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These Terms, and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter, shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Mauritius, including (without limitation) the Sale of Goods Act, the Consumer Protection (Price and Supplies Control) Act, the Electronic Transactions Act 2000, and the Data Protection Act 2017.

You agree that the courts of Mauritius shall have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, save that we may seek injunctive or equivalent relief in any competent jurisdiction to protect our intellectual property or confidential information.

18. Complaints & Dispute Resolution

If you have a complaint about your order or these Terms, please contact us first at info@tumbukacoffee.com so we can try to resolve the matter directly. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 2 business days and resolve them within 14 days.

If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you may refer consumer complaints to the relevant consumer protection authority in Mauritius, or, for payment-related disputes, contact your card-issuing bank regarding the chargeback process available under your cardholder agreement.

19. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Tumbuka Coffee regarding your use of the Site and purchase of products, superseding any prior agreements.

20. Changes to These Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our products, business practices, payment providers, or legal and regulatory requirements. The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

Continued use of the Site after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. Orders placed before a change took effect will be governed by the Terms in force at the time the order was placed.