Ugandan Coffee in Depth
In the latest issue of the magazine, we published a beautiful visual essay about Ugandan Coffee farms, from the Brussels based photographer Le Petit Cooper. In this essay, Gabriel revisits the landscapes that shaped his family history, capturing not inly where coffee grows, but also where memory and belonging take root.
In light of the presence of Ugandan coffees at the upcoming Madrid Coffee Fest, we've partnered with Ugandan Coffee, to know more about this country, its coffees and to share a deeper insight after our first contact with Uganda in SOLO 15 (all images courtesy of Ugandan Coffees).
Also known as the "Pearl of Africa," Uganda offers one of the finest topographies in the world for growing quality coffee beans. The coffee grown on its soil has an exquisite, distinct taste, and the country has been harvesting the beans for over 200 years. Robusta coffee beans first started growing in the wild forests bordering Lake Victoria over two hundred years ago, and by the late 19th century, Ugandan Robusta was finding its way into European markets. This was followed by Arabica beans that were introduced to the country by missionaries in the 20th century.
Uganda Coffee
Today, coffee is a vital part of Uganda's economy, employing over 1.7 million households and contributing significantly to foreign exchange earnings. Uganda is the 7th largest coffee producer globally.
In 2023, Spain imported 16.5 thousand tonnes of coffee from Uganda. Between 2019 and 2023, green-coffee imports from Uganda grew at a yearly rate of 7.0%. Whilst in 2024, Uganda exported roughly $73.91 million worth of coffee, coffee husks, and substitutes to Spain.
This growing Spanish interest in Ugandan coffee has been led by a new wave of Ugandan coffee producers championing sustainable farming, empowering women and transforming local communities.
To meet demand for the growing interest in its beans and farmers, Ugandan coffee will be making its first group appearance at the annual Madrid Coffee Festival (13-16th February), where it will join over 240 producers from around the globe, to showcase its delicious beans and pioneering growers to the 60,000 expected visitors.
They are taking their message directly to Spanish coffee drinkers and industry players, inviting them to discover the rich flavours and stories behind Uganda’s specialty coffee.
The country's young generation of pioneering growers are dedicated to driving community uplift, including support for local schools, financial education and youth programmes. Their practices are steeped in sustainability from bean to cup, with agroforestry, climate-smart agriculture and initiatives such as shade-planting and beekeeping in place. Not to mention many farms have a female-led workforce, who they upskill with technical training and fair wages.
For example, Mountain Harvest, set on the ridges of Mount Elgon, is dedicated to empowering women through coffee production and has grown the number of women it works with from 13% in 2019 to 41% in 2025.
Whilst Ankole Cooperative Union, located in the fertile volcanic soils of Southwestern Uganda, at altitudes ranging from 1400 to 1900 metres above sea level, is committed to developing local communities and has helped fund schools in the villages they work with. Its member farmers each manage small-scale farms averaging 1.5 acres, carefully tending to 600-700 coffee trees. Their farming practices include maintaining healthy soils, pruning the coffee bushes, and intercropping with nutrient-rich trees and plants such as bananas, providing partial shade and mulch for the soil. With their high altitude these farms produce coffee that exhibits a distinctive cup profile with floral, fruity, and sweet notes.
Ankole Coffee Producers Cooperative Union
Zamani Coffee was founded as a movement to empower small-scale farmers. Its beans are cultivated by 250 dedicated small-scale farmers in the Sipi region, who weave traditional methods with innovation to nurture the land that sustains them. Zamani provides ongoing education on sustainable farming and post-harvest practises to help achieve higher profitability whilst looking after their environment. It established the ‘Sipi Zamani Coffee Farmers Savings Cooperative’, a platform that empowers farmers to save, plan and deliver community-driven initiatives.
From Uganda’s high-altitude regions, Kwezi Coffee offers specialty coffee that embodies the country’s diverse landscapes and rich flavours. It works closely with over 2,700 farmers - 60% of whom are women, to produce coffee that delights and inspires.
Barbara and Pamella’s mission is to source, process, and export the finest Ugandan coffee while empowering women and youth throughout the coffee value chain. Through fair pricing, sustainable practices, and a relentless dedication to quality, they aim to inspire a new generation of leaders in the coffee sector.
Kwezi coffee has a number of community initiatives that include:
- Training workshops on mulching, pruning, and soil erosion management to improve yields.
- Collaboration with local agribusinesses to share resources and best practices.
- Supporting beekeeping and livestock farming to create diversified income streams.
Uganda Coffee
Or Clarke Farm, born out of a vision to create a meaningful impact in rural Uganda. Founded by Dr. Ian Clarke, a dual Irish-Ugandan citizen, the farm builds on decades of commitment to improving healthcare and education in the region.
Dr. Clarke’s journey to coffee farming was driven by a desire to address rural poverty and empower women and young people. Coffee, Uganda’s most valuable cash crop, became the vehicle for change, creating jobs, increasing incomes, and opening doors to education for countless families.
Clarke Farm is committed to sustainably producing high-quality, single-origin washed Robusta coffee. This exceptional coffee is grown alongside a diversity of other crops, including Irish seed potatoes, matooke (a type of banana), mangoes, macadamia, bamboo, and maize. Beyond coffee, the farm is dedicated to agroforestry, with eucalyptus plantations and indigenous tree corridors carefully integrated within the topography. This thoughtful blend of agriculture and forestry underlines Clarke Farm’s commitment to climate-smart farming practices that support local ecosystems.
If you'd like to find out more visit the Ugandan Coffee stand at the Madrid Coffee Fest.Dr. Clarke comments, “If one can make an impact by getting cash and employment into this rural community, particularly for women and girls, one can increase household income and the ability of families to send their children to school, which will break the cycle of generational poverty.”