By Julius Mugaga Tukacungurwa/Umoja Standard
The meeting centered on building a coffee culture in Uganda, highlighting the importance of specialty coffee and the challenges of educating consumers about quality and freshness. Concerns were raised about coffee losing its desirable attributes when stored for too long, prompting the exploration of a model for delivering freshly roasted coffee directly to customers. Discussions included the coffee value chain, emphasizing fair compensation for farmers and the significance of proper brewing methods to enhance consumer experience. The speaker detailed various coffee types and their characteristics, while also addressing new EU regulations on sourcing transparency. Informal training for farmers was discussed to improve production and economic outcomes, alongside efforts to enhance living standards in villages. The meeting concluded with a focus on empowering farmers and promoting local coffee consumption, stressing the need for fair compensation and the superiority of ground coffee over instant varieties.
Next Steps
The company is exploring a model where customers can order freshly roasted coffee, which will be delivered to them, ensuring they receive coffee at its freshest state.
The speaker indicated that they actively seek customer feedback to inform product development, considering requests for new coffee formats such as coffee bags.
The speaker suggested that small coffee businesses should collaborate to create a coffee culture in Uganda, encouraging them to establish coffee shops in close proximity to attract more customers.
AI Insights
The meeting was characterized by a high level of engagement and participation among the attendees, reflecting their active involvement in discussions about the coffee industry and related topics. Clear next steps were identified, particularly in terms of collaboration and product development, indicating a moderate level of clarity for future actions. The meeting was well-managed, adhering to the scheduled duration, which contributed to its effectiveness. Overall, the sentiment was positive, highlighting enthusiasm for improving the coffee culture and supporting farmers.
Topics & Highlights
- Building Coffee Culture in Uganda
The speaker expressed concern about the freshness of coffee, noting that coffee loses its desirable attributes when it sits on supermarket shelves for extended periods, which affects the quality experienced by consumers.
The company is exploring a model where customers can order freshly roasted coffee, which will be delivered to them, ensuring they receive coffee at its freshest state.
The company sources coffee from various regions in Uganda, including partnerships with farmers and cooperatives, such as the Ankole Coffee Cooperative in Shema, to ensure quality and traceability of their coffee products.
- Brewing Methods and Equipment
The speaker expresses disappointment that consumers often prepare coffee by simply adding hot water, missing out on the full flavor and experience that proper brewing methods can provide.
- Coffee Types and Their Characteristics
The speaker mentioned that they offer a single origin, 100% Arabica coffee from East Bali and Capchara, as well as 100% Robusta and a blend of 60% Arabica and 40% Robusta, highlighting the caffeine differences and flavor profiles.
The speaker raised concerns about new EU regulations requiring transparency in sourcing coffee, ensuring that it is not linked to deforestation or environmental harm.
The speaker indicated that they actively seek customer feedback to inform product development, considering requests for new coffee formats such as coffee bags.
The speaker described the cupping process, which is used to evaluate coffee based on various attributes such as taste, aftertaste, fragrance, aroma, acidity, and flavor notes.
The speaker emphasized the meticulous quality control process they follow, which includes cupping to assess various flavor attributes and customer preferences.
- Training and Community Engagement
The speaker explained that while they do not offer paid training, they engage in informal training by visiting farms and educating farmers on how to increase their coffee production’s economic value (
- Building Sustainable Coffee Production in Villages
The speaker expressed concern about the poor living standards in villages and the inadequate income farmers receive from their coffee production, which is insufficient to sustain their households.
The speaker highlighted that farmers often produce around 20 kilos of coffee from their small plots, which can yield significantly more income than they currently receive, illustrating the potential for better earnings.
The speaker suggested that small coffee businesses should collaborate to create a coffee culture in Uganda, encouraging them to establish coffee shops in close proximity to attract more customers.
- Empowering Farmers and Promoting Local Coffee Consumption
There is a concern that farmers are being exploited and not given a fair chance to become wealthy, which is detrimental to the development of their villages.
There is a concern that consumers are being misled into believing that instant coffee is superior, leading to overcharging for inferior products.