On Wednesday, the Uganda coffee competition final was held, a close collaboration between the British High Commission Kampala, Uganda Coffee Development Authority and Uganda High Commission London that saw Bros Coffee Limited emerge as the winner for the competition after the early morning cupping session held at a glamorous event at the Coffee shop near the main lobby at Sheraton Hotel Kampala.
This victory comes at a time as six of Uganda’s Arabica coffee producers vied for the top position in a cupping competition jointly organized by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), the British High Commission Kampala and the Uganda High Commission in London. Five judges from Uganda and five from the United Kingdom simultaneously judged the top six Arabica coffee samples at the UCDA laboratory in Lugogo and at We Roast in London, respectively.
The top six samples came from Bros Coffee Ltd, Great Lakes Coffee Ltd, Masha Quality Holdings, Zombo Coffee, Kalaa Mugosi Women Empowerment Ltd and Funzo Coffee. The competition attracted 50 samples from various Arabica coffee producers countrywide and aims to promote and raise interest in quality Ugandan coffee with the ultimate goal of increasing coffee exports to the United Kingdom which is in line with the national Coffee Roadmap that seeks to brand Uganda coffee, locally and internationally, and to increase structured demand.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, Hon. Bwino Fred Kyakulaga commended Uganda’s key trade partner, the United Kingdom, for the partnership and support extended to ensure that coffee, one of the country’s best products, gets into the UK market.
“We are confident that as we continue to strengthen the trade relations between Uganda and the UK and as demand for quality Uganda coffee grows in the UK, farmers will be empowered, poverty levels will reduce with increasing farm incomes and smallholder farmers will transform into commercial farmers with comprehensive knowledge of the market,” he said.
Hon. Kyakulaga reiterated Government’s commitment to transform the coffee sub sector.
“It is Government’s desire to ensure that the great strides so far made in the coffee sub sector will lead to even greater accomplishments including meeting the target of producing 20 million 60kg bags of coffee by the year 2025 through interventions such as this Arabica Coffee Cupping competition,” he stressed.
The British High Commissioner to Uganda, H.E Kate Airey OBE said
“Our aim is very clear: we want to publicise the quality of Uganda specialty Arabica coffee and make British people more aware of the wonders of this Ugandan brand. Coffee in Uganda, particularly for the specialty market, is proving to be a force for good, both for the farmers and the planet. This story appeals to a UK market which is increasingly environmentally aware”.
The winners of the competition will work with a company to develop their brand for the UK market. They will be supported with the right networks, contacts, branding and exposure to get them onto supermarket shelves in the UK. This is expected to open up the doors to other Ugandan brands to do the same.
About Guide2Uganda
Guide2Uganda (www.guide2uganda.ug) is the most comprehensive source of travel information about Uganda that exists on the web, with more content on its cities & towns, accommodation, attractions, events, museums and galleries than any other online guide that currently exists for Uganda; as well as being a dynamic travel news and events driven site with fresh content added daily.
According to WeFollow & Peer Index (that measure online influence), we are among the most influential online media organizations in Uganda. Guide2Uganda was also awarded ‘’Best Destination Website in Uganda’’ by Jumia Travel Uganda in the 2018 Africa Travel Awards.
Share your travel stories & photos with the world via email: info@guide2uganda.ug
