The pearl of Africa.
The country with an indescribable landscape and rare wild animals is one of the largest coffee nations in the world. Still, when you think of high-quality Arabica coffee, Uganda is probably not the first thing you think of.
But appearances are deceptive, Uganda is on the advance and produces first-class premium coffees.
Uganda & Coffee
Coffee is Uganda's largest export product. Around 1.7 million households are active in the coffee sector. Although Robusta is mainly grown in Uganda, which makes up around 75-80% of the annual export volume, the proportion of high-quality Arabica is growing steadily. No wonder, because Uganda is rich in fertile volcanic soil and blessed with abundant rainfall.
In Uganda the majority (> 80%) of the harvest is produced by small farmers with less than 2.5 hectares of land. We were enthusiastic about the attention to detail of the farmers, who besides coffee usually cultivate other cultures such as bananas. Thanks to these mixed cultures, the coffee can grow "cooled" in the shade of the trees.
We will get our coffees from the Mt. Elgon region bordering Kenya. The microclimate and terrain in this region is ideally suited for the production of high quality specialty coffee. Many of the mostly small farms are located at over 2000 m altitude, which gives very complex coffees.
The main harvest begins in October and we are excited to taste the first samples.
Traceability
The traceability is very good. In Uganda, Arabica coffee is typically grown by small farmers who possess only a few hectares of land. Unlike in countries such as Ethiopia, which are largely organized in trade unions, specialty coffee from Uganda can very often be traced back to the individual farm.
