Realizing Uganda's Specialty Potential

By building resilient, long-term relationships with coffee producers in Uganda, Ugacof is laying the groundwork to bringing more high-quality East African coffees to our customers. “Expanding the scope and quality of our offerings is about finding new communities to invest in,” Dominic says. “Supporting farmer resilience is a driving principle behind our development.”

Ugandan coffees are characterized by the same great features that roasters know and love from neighboring origins like Rwanda and Kenya. Expect bright, juicy and clean cup profiles, with floral and chocolate notes in all the right places. The first batches of washed lots are emerging from the newly built Mubuku washing station now, Dominic reports. Sucafina in Uganda will start sending out the first washed Ugandan samples soon. 

Gender Equality Helps Farms Thrive 

One way Sucafina in Uganda is investing in farmer resilience is by empowering women to be more involved in decision-making on their farms. For Nakalisa Maria, Sucafina in Uganda has given her the support she needed to voice her ideas and make a real impact on her family’s income. In just a few years, Maria has used her new decision-making power to make significant improvements in coffee yield and diversify her family’s income with livestock. 

“Women in my community are getting involved in agribusiness and improving their livelihoods,” Maria says. Like every good businesswoman, Maria has her sights set on growing her farm activities. In March 2020, Maria purchased 1 bag of fertilizer on credit. After seeing the impacts of the fertilizer on her harvest, she purchased an additional 3 bags in September. 

Maria has also diversified her family income by investing in livestock. She purchased a cow and built a paddock. Maria outfitted the paddock with a channel to collect the cow manure, which she plans to use to fertilize her coffee trees. 

Sucafina in Uganda’s focus on gender equity and farmer resilience is leading to better farmer livelihoods and better coffee quality. When more women are empowered to be key decision-makers on their farms, everybody benefits. 

Planning for an Even Brighter Future

In addition to their gender equity programs, Ugacof has been expanding upon the success of Mubuku washing station and building more wet mills that support farmer resilience by increasing quality. Quality improvement will translate into higher prices for farmers. 

The main crop, which runs from September to December, is now in full swing. “At the end of this month, we’ll start purchasing new cherry at Kisiizi station, our second new washing station in the south,” Dominic explains. “We’ve been producing really good naturals there and we plan to start construction on a new wet mill by January 2021.” Sucafina in Uganda intends to have Kisiizi wet mill operating in time for the start of the fly crop in March. They’re also planning to establish a large nursery and a program with farm management teams to work on increasing productivity and yield.

 “We’re laying the groundwork for long-term partnerships in Western Uganda,” Dominic says. “Everything we’re doing is about supporting farmer resilience and building strong relationships with these producers.”