Kabweya

Over the past two decades, the presence of Ugandan coffees in the Aus coffee scene has come and gone. The country has a long coffee tradition and notably claims Canephora (aka Robusta) as an indigenous coffee species. However, the quality Arabica coffee species preferred by the specialty industry has been sidelined by a lack of financial return in the Ugandan market and significant gaps in infrastructure that put a ceiling on quality. All of the ingredients are there though - volcanic soils, good rainfall and high altitudes - along with farming communities keen to use coffee as a vehicle for better lives. After working on the ground in the Mt Elgon region since 2005, NGO JENGA Community Development saw the potential and heard the demand from the communities they worked with and so launched the Zukuka Bora Coffee Company. With coffee farmers at the heart of this project - and as joint shareholders - the team at Zukuka Bora set to, supporting them with tools, training, financing and, critically, the establishment of local mills to process the coffee. Not only does Zukuka Bora purchase ripe coffee from the farming communities surrounding these mills at a 20% premium to market rates, they also provide a bonus to farmers during 'the hungry season' - the middle of the season when farmers' money is invested in the ground, waiting on new crops. Now providing fairly-paid work for over 100 people during harvest in remote mountain areas, Zukuka Bora's profits go on to fund Jenga's education sponsorships, clean water schemes, health promotion and much more. These kinds of combined missions of quality coffee and impact initiatives are what Five Senses is all about and we're thrilled to be able to showcase the results in Australia!