Uganda natural Robusta screen 18 Fairtrade (FLO) + Organic

Uganda is a fascinating country with many facets. In the southwest, the snow-capped Rwenzori Mountains are even a spring to the Nile River. Verdant mountain ranges, home to some of the last freely roaming Gorillas, can be found in various parts of the country. While cherished for its scenic views, these lands are also home to 85 % of Uganda‘s population with agriculture as the main source of income. Coffee remains by far the most valued export good, with around 1.8 million households growingi it and contributing to a third of the country's export revenues. In 2006, a committee of 10 village-based societies met and decided to form a new, smaller union, known as the Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union Ltd (ACPCU), after the collapse of a former Coffee Union. By organising themselves this way, the societies could assume the role the agency played, create local jobs, and develop skills in their community.

Today, ACPCU counts 4,465 smallholder coffee growers and is located in the Bushenyi district in South West Uganda, in the mountains of Bunyaruguru and Katerera in Western Uganda, a region renowned for its stunning emerald green crater lakes. Thanks to the Fairtrade premium, ACPCU´s farmers have been able to invest in their local communities and the cooperative. They have renovated local primary schools and built a community centre and library.

In order to improve the coffee quality and production, ACPCU has invested in a coffee seedling nursery and young plants are distributed to the members. They could also plant shade trees, including banana and yam and ground cover from beans, all of which help to support the family diet. Farmers use cow manure and banana leaf compost to fertilize the coffee in a natural way. Pests are treated by using extract from Bird´s Eye pepper plant which grows amongst the coffee. In order to reduce the risk of landslides the coffee is not planted on very steep hills.