Coffee: Uganda now roasts, packs and retails to Europe
PANA

Uganda Friday became the first African coffee producing country to retail direct to European markets after opening a roasting and packa g ing factory in Kampala.

With the capacity to produce 3 million tonnes annually, the indigenous-owned com pany, Good African Coffee, will help the landlocked East African country to reta i n an extra 45 percent value per kilo of coffee exported to Europe.

“Today we prove all those who dismissed us that we cannot produce quality coffee and put it on the shelves of the European market,” said Andrew Rugasira, the Ch i ef Executive Officer of the company.

“Today we celebrate a landmark, not just as Good African but as Africa the conti nent. We are launching the empowerment of the African farmer,'' he said, adding:

''This is the first time an African company is capturing the complete value chai n in Africa and exporting to Europe.”

Good African Coffee, launched in 2003, undertakes a detailed production process that runs from coffee growing to packaging for export. It has over 14,000 out-growers in Western Uganda.

Ugandan leader Yoweri Museveni described the development as part of the ongoing liberation of Africa from economic slavery due to failure to add value to her pr o ducts.

“This is liberation from economic slavery,” Museveni noted shortly after opening the US$1million factory. “Our inability to add value to our exports has subject e d us to economic slavery where for instance we earn a dismal US$1 per kilo of co f fee beans exported to European roasting and packaging firms that sell a kilo at U S$15.

The President added: “We have been losing over US$10 per kilogramme in value by exporting unprocessed coffee to none producing countries (Europe) but (which) ha v e a huge market. Now we can export finished products to them, we are regaining a l l that we have been losing. Actually we have been donating income to Europe.”

Good African is contracted to supply coffee roasted and packaged in Uganda direc t to global supermarket chains Tesco’s, Sainsbury and Waitrose in the United Kin g dom, and Shoprite Checkers of South Africa.

The company has invested more than US$2,500,000 in developing the farmer infrast ructure in western Uganda and growing the brand globally.

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