I am a son of the Bamasaba land (that’s what people from the mount Elgon region are fondly referred to). I grew up around coffee farms. They are the mainstay of livelihood in this region. So, for me, interest in coffee came so naturally. However, as I came of age and developed a taste for a good cup of coffee, I was surprised (and quite frankly puzzled) that it was not common to access a good cup of coffee in Uganda. Thanks to liberalisation, the organisational structure (cooperatives), through which rules on processing through which quality standards were implemented to ensure superior coffee quality, had since been decimated. As a result, coffee processing decentralised to individual farmers, which undermined the ability to ensure consistency in quality of coffee produced and delivered for consumption.

As the annual crop began to decline, intense competition added another layer to the weakening in the quality of coffee processing: coffee farmers, for example, no longer bothered to harvest red cherries, and instead, would strip the trees, harvesting a combination of black, red, green, and yellow cherries, because they could find a market for all qualities. And as the quality declined, so was the value of coffee farmers could fetch from the sale of their coffees. Income from coffee for the majority of farming households declined, which eventually imposed a serious bottleneck to upward social mobility.

Acknowledging these challenges, I desired to do something that would contribute to bringing an end to the endemic wastage of value because of poor coffee handling. Against this backdrop, I decided to set up a washing station and sufficient coffee drying infrastructure. The purpose was to centralise processing of coffee in order to ensure consistent quality processing standards, so as to produce consistent coffees. Secondly, partner with like-goals driven organisations, to get this high quality coffee to markets, where it can fetch the commensurate value. And third, share the value produced from the production and processing of coffee with farmers, so as to enhance continuous improvement in their incomes. Our farmers receive a bonus at the end of the season. With partnerships from companies, like Darley Investment, we are proud to say that we are on the path towards delivering the best coffee cup profile(s) from Uganda, as well as ensuring that it contributes towards long-term improvement in farming household incomes, which will guarantee long term economic security.