SEND Coffee - Uganda
Brought to you by Dog and Hat!
Origin
Smallholders of the Bugoye Coffee Station, Kasese in the Rwenzori region of Western Uganda
Variety
SL14, SL28
Processing
Washed
Altitude
1600 - 2000 masl
Roast Profile
Omni-Roast
Tasting Notes
Notes of Green Apple, Citrus and Muscovado
Coffee Facts
SCA Score - 84.75
In response to the growing number of farmers delivering their cherries to the washing station, Agri Evolve and Kyagalanyi built a second washing station in 2019, in Bugoye, north of the Kasese district.
Instead of just focusing on the processing of the cherries, Jonny from Agri Evolve and his team mobilised the whole community to take a vested interest in coffee production: from empowering farmers in the care of the coffee trees - with the implementation of the Volcafe Way program - to the importance of picking only red cherries, or implementing basics social benefits helping the workers in the long-run. Employees of Agri Evolve benefit from an health insurance, a pension plan and receive their wages on a bank account (this practice - which helps building up savings - is not common in Uganda)
The success of the project relies on the deep-rooted commitment to economic sustainability with a clear commercial view, not just a charitable one. As Jonny says: “The best way to help the community is to buy their coffee!"
While the topography allows to build big washing stations (compared to Mount Elgon area for instance), the transport of cherries from the mountain slopes to the washing stations remains a challenge for many farmers. To overcome it, Agri Evolve created 20 Buying Stations, where farmers can deliver and sell their cherries. Each Buying Station is a business run by a farmer, from which Agri Evolve buys the ripe cherries. Instead of owning the whole supply chain, they have put in place an economic structure that fosters self-empowerment and sane competition.
Every buying station keeps track of its purchase and make those data available to Agri Evolve. Depending on the quality and the quantity of each delivery, lots are kept separate to create "Buying Station" lots and trace the coffee down the the farmers.
