Meet the Women Behind Your Ugandan Coffee

Women are integral to coffee production at every stage of the value chain, yet their contribution often goes unrecognized. To shine a light on the essential roles women play across agrifood systems, the UN has declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer. Throughout the year, we’ll visit Sucafina origins around the world to hear directly from the women behind the coffee. First stop: Uganda. 

To mark International Women’s Day today, we’re launching the first origin spotlight in our series. Two farmers who work with Ugacof (Sucafina in Uganda) and three of our team members share a glimpse into their daily work, their experiences in coffee and their advice for women considering a career in the sector. Their perspectives reflect the range of roles – from production to sustainability and logistics – that help keep coffee moving from farm to cup. 

Hellen Nanyonjo Nalongo – Coffee farmer from Masaka District 

What does a day in your life look like? 

I wake up early, usually by 5 a.m. I begin by preparing my granddaughter for school and cleaning around the home. Then I feed and milk the cows, enjoying some milk for breakfast before heading to the farm. In the afternoon, I return home to prepare food and I sometimes go back for an evening round at the farm. 

What excites you about your job as a farmer? 

Coming to my farm excites me because every time I step into the garden, I know the effort I am putting in will compound into income in the future. 

I am a registered lead farmer with Ugacof, and it’s been close to 10 years. The trainings we receive on Good Agricultural Practices and compost preparation have been very valuable. I also host a coffee nursery at my farm and sell seedlings for extra income 

What advice do you have for women looking to start coffee farming? 

Coffee farming requires cooperation at home. I run my farm together with my husband and our twin children. Without harmony, progress becomes difficult. 

Hadijah Nantume – Coffee farmer from Masaka District 

What does a day in your life look like? 

I wake up at 6:00 a.m. and go straight to the farm where I carry out maintenance on the coffee trees. Later in the morning, I return home to attend to other household responsibilities.  

What excites you about your job as a farmer?   

I am proud of the achievements I have attained through coffee farming such as paying my children’s school fees, sustaining my livelihood and living a dignified life as a farmer.  

Through Ugacof, we took part several trainings on farm management and Good Agricultural Practices. We also learned about intercropping coffee with bananas, which enables us to grow food for home consumption while still growing coffee as a cash crop. 

What advice do you have for women looking to start coffee farming? 

My advice to women is to be determined and develop a love for farming. Farming means you can grow your own food without always having to buy it. I also prune my coffee trees and can use the unwanted branches as firewood for my kitchen. 

 

Edith Kahinju – Sustainability Accountant 

What does a day in your job look like? 

My day begins by collecting information from the field and feeding it into the system to support reporting. This helps management to make decisions and offers transparency about what is happening in the field. 

What do you like most about your job? 

My work connects business performance with responsibility. Sustainability is now very key and this makes my work very meaningful. 

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

I would advise young women to develop their professional skills, to have high integrity and be reliable and accountable. Once they have put those skills together, the sky will be the limit in the coffee sector 

 

Lydia Letaru – Forest Conservation and GIS Lead 

What does a day in your job look like? 

My day starts with checking dashboards. We deal with farm data, so I monitor progress on data processing and check to see what challenges my team are facing. I also focus my attention on developing tools to improve our systems.  

What do you like most about your job? 

Because it’s a global position, I interact with a lot of people across different time zones and countries. Working with data is really nice because you can tell a story about a farm, a plot and a farmer just from the data. 

What’s your advice to women who want to work in coffee? 

Be very curious and spend some time learning. If you can gain skills and perfect your vocation, it will take you far. 

Ritah Najjemba – Stocks Supervisor  

What does a day in your job look like? 

A day at work starts with organizing my desk, checking my emails and attending to the critical ones. Later, I do a physical check in my teams’ warehouses to make sure everything is in order. 

What do you like most about your job? 

Working in stock comes with many challenges. It involves a lot of movements, phone calls, stock checks and reconciliations. But at the end of the day, when everything is reconciled, it’s very rewarding. 

What’s your advice to young women who want to work in coffee? 

On a professional level, get to know the entire value chain. On a personal level, be passionate about your job. Once you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll be able to overcome any challenge that comes with it. 

 

Interested in learning more about our Uganda supply chains or booking coffee from these origins? Reach out to your trader to explore our offerings.