About This Coffee
This Fairtrade and Organic certified washed was grown by a remarkable group of women in Uganda who are dedicated mothers and members of the Mt Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise Ltd (MEACCE).
MEACCE is a 2017 democratic union of farmers located in Eastern Uganda, the Mbale region of Mt Elgon forest, and made of 11 Primary Societies representing over 3,032 smallholder farmers.
Smallholder farmers from the Primary Societies of Mt. Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise grow coffee as their primary cash crop but often tend to other crops on their land.
In addition to promoting quality control, hand-sorting coffee in MEACCE provides employment opportunities for individuals in rural areas, especially women.
Cultivation
Over time, the cooperative is working and looking for responsible partners to help members diversify their incomes and bring yellow bananas and milk as another potential revenue stream, along with honey and handicrafts, to market.
Mt Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise Ltd. works hard to develop practices, improve the coffee and streamline the business while addressing gender balance and generating sustainable agricultural practices.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Mt Elgon employs plastic tarps, raised beds, and solar dryers to ensure optimal drying conditions for their coffee beans.
Sustainable Harvest
Sustainable Harvest® is a specialty coffee trader focusing primarily on bringing coffees to market that are sourced from smallholder farmer cooperatives in the supply chain such as indigenous communities, women groups and the next generation of coffee farmers.
Their sourcing model is built on transparency, traceability and direct relationships between quality-minded coffee roasters and best-in-class coffee producers. Sustainable Harvest® has an on-site presence at origin with staff in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru. Each office coordinates their supply including quality management, supplier relationships, source development, logistics, training and capacity building.
Coffee in Uganda
Uganda is the native home to one species of Robusta, and commercial coffee production in the country goes back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Our partner, UGACOF/Sucafina Uganda is committed to improving quality in Uganda by building new washing stations and infrastructure and training personnel in the region. Collaborations with our FarmerHub program and our sustainability partner, the Kahawatu Foundation, are building upon our work to expand farmers’ access to better resources and better training. Our connections to our more established operations in nearby Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya offer us advice and a perspective steeped in a familiarity with East Africa.
The bulk of our work in Uganda is focused in the West, near the Rwenzori Mountains. The biggest difference between East (Mount Elgon) and West (Rwenzori) is that Mount Elgon is a more established and competitive market. We are excited to be at the forefront of the drive for enhancing coffee production infrastructure, developing the industry and becoming reliable partners for farmers in the Rwenzori Mountain region.
It is clear to us that the potential in this region might exceed our expectations and even the potential of the popular Mount Elgon region. With an ever-growing demand for high quality Arabicas and a sustained interest from roasters and coffee drinkers in the East African origins, we are very confident that, with diligence and effort, Western Ugandan coffees will be able to take their place alongside the other great East African coffees.