UGANDA - THE ORIGINS OF ROBUSTA COFFEE

Uganda is a land-locked country in East Africa, bordering Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Sudan. The country has seen a tremendous rate of progress and development in the past 15 years. Blessed with an ideal climate, Uganda is a lush country with an astounding amount of lakes, wetlands and rivers, and is the source of the mighty River Nile.

This is a geographically and scenically diverse country, dubbed by Winston Churchill as the Pearl of Africa. It straddles the equator and boasts mist-shrouded volcanic mountains, glacier capped peaks, simmering hot springs, semi-arid desert, and rolling fertile hills. There are over 500 forest reserves and a number of national parks and game reserves in the country, providing a safe habitat for this country’s array of unique wildlife. Recognised for its wide range of primates (chimpanzees, numerous monkeys and the rare mountain gorilla) and its impressive bird list which tops more than 1,000 species, Uganda is also fast becoming a popular eco-tourism destination for the naturalist and wildlife enthusiast.

Uganda has a long tradition of coffee production - dating back more than 100 years - and is now ranked 2nd in Africa and 7th in the world for coffee production. It is the leading exporter of organic coffee in Africa. It is widely accepted that while Ethiopia is the original source of Arabica coffee, Uganda is the source of Robusta.

Centuries ago, Ugandan warriors would chew the bean or cherry before going into battle. This would make them feel strong, brave and invincible. The variety of wild robusta coffees still growing in Uganda’s rainforests are thought to be some of the rarest examples of naturally occurring coffee trees anywhere in the
world.

Coffee has been the largest single foreign exchange earner for the country since the 1970’s, and is based entirely on smallscale production. Robusta coffee accounts for 94% of the output, while Arabica coffee accounts for the remaining 6%. There are approximately 500,000 coffee farms in Uganda. About 25% of the entire country’s population, is dependent on coffee for their livelihood. Other exports from Uganda include cotton, fish, tea, tobacco, maize, beans, and sesame.