Ambassador Juju Nsababera (L) and Gen. Salim Saleh Akandwanaho
By Joseph Mary Buwule
KAMPALA, UGANDA — Uganda’s drive to transform its coffee industry from a raw commodity export sector into a fully integrated value chain is gaining momentum, with calls for greater recognition of farmers, stronger traceability and increased local value addition.
Consul General of Uganda in Guangzhou Ambassador Juju Nsababera has called for greater emphasis on the people behind Ugandan coffee, saying every cup carries the efforts, dedication and aspirations of farmers who work to produce the crop.
Nsababera made the remarks after visiting Mountain Harvest, where she met coffee farmers and observed the work involved in producing and maintaining the quality of Ugandan coffee.
“Behind every cup of Ugandan coffee are farmers who pour their hearts, hands and hopes into every harvest,” Nsababera said.
She said her interaction with farmers and coffee stakeholders had strengthened her appreciation of the human story behind Uganda’s coffee and the importance of communicating that story to international buyers and consumers.
At Mountain Harvest, she said, she met people whose “love and dedication” contribute to the exceptional quality of Ugandan coffee.
The Ambassador said coffee buyers are increasingly interested in knowing the origin of the product, including who grows it, where it is produced and the processes through which it reaches the market.
“Buyers ask for the origin story. I’ll tell you who grows your coffee, the hands that nurture it and the passion behind every bean,” she said.
Nsababera also commended K. Barigye for hosting her and for the attention given to the quality of coffee sold by Mountain Harvest.
She, however, challenged coffee buyers to complete the story by identifying the consumers at the end of the value chain.
“Now my challenge to those buying Ugandan coffee: tell us who is drinking it,” she said.
Her message comes at a time when Uganda is seeking to fundamentally change how it participates in the global coffee industry by increasing domestic processing, manufacturing, branding and consumption.
Saleh pushes “bush to cup” coffee strategy
Recently, Gen. Salim Saleh Akandwanaho, Chief Coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, Senior Presidential Adviser and a key mobiliser of the Uganda Coffee Group initiative, made a similar call for Ugandans to take greater ownership of the coffee value chain.
Speaking during the launch of the Uganda Coffee Group at Kapeeka Industrial Park, Gen. Saleh used the phrase “bush to cup” to describe the journey Uganda’s coffee should undertake.
“I’ve got a product from bush to cup. Take it and continue the coffee journey,” Gen. Saleh said while passing on the coffee baton to Tamale, Chair of the Uganda Coffee Group.
His message was that Uganda should no longer be satisfied with producing coffee and exporting it largely as raw green beans, while much of the higher-value processing and marketing takes place elsewhere.
The Uganda Coffee Group was launched in October at Kapeeka Industrial Park as a private-sector-led initiative bringing together farmers, cooperatives, processors, manufacturers, investors and financial institutions to mobilise investment across the coffee value chain.
The group aims to help Ugandans participate in more stages of the coffee journey—from production and processing to roasting, packaging, branding and distribution.
Gen. Saleh urged stakeholders and members of the public to support the initiative, arguing that coffee has the potential to become a long-term source of national wealth if Ugandans organise themselves, mobilise capital and invest patiently across the value chain.
From raw beans to finished products
The push for a “bush-to-cup” model is particularly significant because Uganda continues to export the overwhelming majority of its coffee as green beans.
According to figures cited by government, Uganda exported about 7.75 million 60-kilogramme bags of coffee in the 2024/25 financial year, generating approximately US$2.21 billion in export earnings.
While the earnings demonstrate the importance of coffee to Uganda’s economy, advocates of increased value addition argue that the country can earn significantly more by processing and marketing a larger share of its coffee domestically.
This would involve expanding local capacity for hulling, processing, roasting, soluble coffee production, packaging and branding.
The objective is not simply to produce more coffee, but to retain more of the economic value generated by the crop inside Uganda.
Connecting the farmer to the consumer
The messages from Gen. Saleh and Ambassador Nsababera converge around a common objective: ensuring that Uganda owns and understands more of its coffee journey.
For Nsababera, the journey begins with recognising the farmer and telling the origin story of the coffee.
For Gen. Saleh, the journey should continue from the farm or “bush” through processing and manufacturing until the finished product reaches the consumer’s cup.
Together, the two messages highlight the importance of developing a coffee industry in which farmers, processors, manufacturers, investors and consumers are connected through a transparent and commercially viable value chain.
The Uganda Coffee Group describes itself as an indigenous investment and commercialisation platform whose objectives include promoting climate-smart coffee production, improving quality, increasing local processing and manufacturing, supporting research and innovation, and building a globally competitive Ugandan coffee brand.
Building a Ugandan coffee brand
Uganda is already recognised internationally for the quality and distinctive characteristics of its coffee. However, stakeholders increasingly argue that the country must move beyond being known primarily as a supplier of raw coffee beans and establish stronger ownership of the finished-product market.
A stronger Ugandan coffee brand could create opportunities for farmers and businesses while also allowing consumers in Uganda and abroad to associate the final product with its Ugandan origin.
This would require investment not only in factories and equipment, but also in quality control, packaging, marketing, research, innovation and traceability.
Traceability would also allow consumers to know more about the farmers and communities behind the coffee they drink.
This is where Nsababera’s challenge to buyers becomes important: Who is drinking Ugandan coffee?
Knowing the final consumer can help strengthen the connection between Uganda’s farmers and international markets while creating a clearer picture of consumer preferences and demand.
A new chapter for Uganda’s coffee industry
Uganda’s coffee sector therefore stands at an important stage of transformation.
The country has the farmers, the production base and an established international market. The emerging challenge is how to capture more value from the crop and ensure that a greater share of the wealth generated by coffee remains within Uganda.
From the farmer nurturing coffee trees in the countryside to the processor preparing the beans, the manufacturer creating finished products, the exporter taking Ugandan brands to international markets and finally the consumer enjoying a cup of coffee, every stage represents an opportunity to create jobs, income and investment.
As Gen. Saleh put it, Uganda has a product that can travel “from bush to cup.”
And as Ambassador Nsababera’s message makes clear, that journey should never lose sight of the people who begin it—the farmers whose hands, hopes and dedication make every cup of Ugandan coffee possible.