Bunyangabu Lactic fermentation FW​

This coffee is part of a specialty initiative born from the partnership between Sucafina NV and Ugacof. The project’s mission is to develop a reliable, high-quality flavor profile that adds value to Ugandan coffee. Anička Marková, Green Coffee Merchant at Sucafina NV, worked closely with Ugacof to design a tailored experimental processing method aligned with these goals.

“Our aim was to create a consistent flavor profile by implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs) and achieving a cup with good body and a smooth, velvety texture,” Anička explains. “Through collaboration and shared expertise, we were able to maintain consistency across batches and ensure uniformity in the cup.”

Why focus on Specialty Coffee in Western Uganda?

Specialty coffee projects in this region open doors for farmers to access premium markets and benefit from sustainability programs that can improve yields. With Ugacof’s strong local presence and the strategic location of the farms, these lots enjoy stable production and innovative farming techniques.

A key player in this initiative is the Bunyangabu Washing Station, located in northwestern Uganda near the Congolese border. Its ideal environmental conditions, modern infrastructure, and reliable cherry supply make it a prime location for specialty coffee processing.

Traditionally, the region is known for DRUGAR (Dry Ugandan Arabica), where farmers often deliver large volumes of cherries with varying ripeness. To meet the high standards of this lot, careful sorting of cherries was essential to ensure a clean and high-quality cup.

Around 3,500 smallholder farmers deliver cherries to the Bunyangabu station. These farmers cultivate coffee on the surrounding hills at altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 1,600 meters above sea level. The main varieties grown are SL-34 and SL-28. Many farmers also intercrop with bananas, vanilla, and beans to diversify income.

After purchasing cherry from producers, Bunyangabu CWS sends the cherry through a strict sorting process. First, washing station staff remove any lower quality cherry through flotation. Then, a specially trained staff visually inspects the remaining cherry for any visual defects.

After intake, cherry is pulped and coffee is placed in fermentation tanks. The team prepared a solution of 2% salt of the weight of wet parchment using salt from Lake Katwe in the Kasese district. The solution is then added on wet parchment with water. The tanks are left to ferment in this environment for approximately 40-42 hours before being washed with Eco-washer to remove any remaining mucilage. Parchment is laid on raised beds to sundry. Workers visually hand sort drying parchment to remove any damaged or defective beans. They also rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 18 to 24 days for parchment to dry.

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. ​

While the scale of work in regions like this can sometimes be overwhelming, we have a clear plan that steadily increases coffee quality.

Our first step is the one that leads to the most immediate and noticeable improvement: harvesting techniques. Due to a long history of home-processing and a lack of incentive for high quality, harvesting in the region is often semi- or entirely non-selective. Thanks to our extended network of cherry collection sites, we meet with farmers every day during the harvest season and can give real-time feedback that can impact the quality of the next day’s harvest. At the collection sites, we can insist on higher levels of care and reward meticulous picking. Though we’re still in the early years, we have seen a clear difference in quality from one year to another and even from the first week of the harvest to the last.

Future steps will include working with farmers to improve their access to materials and knowledge of better farming practices. This means making fertilizer more accessible, encouraging farmers to plant shade canopies and more. We’re planning on building demonstration plots, input access sites across the region and training a new generation of skilled washing station staff. We know it will take time, but we have a strategy and are committed to realizing this vision.