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Retired Banker Reveals How Coffee Value Addition Has Transformed Her Life

Judith Kobusingye Rutaro, a retired banker, now a coffee entrepreneur displays processed coffee at her home in Rubirizi

Judith Kobusingye Rutaro is  retired banker. When she retired from the bank,  she returned to her coffee garden to keep herself busy and earn money to maintain her lifestyle. Kobusingye, who is based in Rubirizi district, started as a farmer like the rest of the community members before embarking on value addition and coffee tourism. She shares her story below;

Starting Off

When I started, planting materials weren’t readily available. We planted whatever we found on the market. As time went on, we got coffee seedlings from the National Agriculture Advisory Services (NAADS). However, the coffee was mishandled by the people distributing the seedlings. Some of the seedlings I received did not perform as I expected. Despite this setback, I persisted. I had a passion for coffee and I knew I would make it. What kept me going is that I knew the value that is in coffee. This is because I already had some mature coffee trees that were earning some little money after selling to the traders. 

My journey into value addition

 My turning point came after I discovered that I could add value to coffee and make more money than what the traders were offering.

Most people think that value addition is about processing the final drink. This is not the case. You can grade your coffee and sell the grades at different prices. Many farmers are not doing this. I have attended several engagements and training that opened my eyes to the opportunities in the coffee business. I learned that coffee has different grades and you can add value throughout the entire value chain. I have attended training through different organisations such as the Ankole Coffee Producers Co-operative Union Ltd (ACPCU), Café Africa, El’Cafino Uganda Ltd, Union Export Services (UNEX) Ltd, and AbiTrust. These institutions have helped me expand my view about the coffee business and how I can harness the opportunities. I also had the opportunity to visit farmers in different parts of the country to see and learn from them. The National Farmers Market (NAFMARK) Limited facilitated some of the visits.  In 2014, I attended a training in value addition. The training exposed me to coffee roasting, grading, and cupping. It’s here that I learnt the true taste of coffee. When I came back to Rubirizi, I started doing the processing locally. I would roast the coffee and package it for sale. I used to roast coffee on a charcoal stove and then package it. I now take my coffee to the Consortium for enhancing University Responsiveness to Agribusiness Development Limited (CURAD) for roasting and grinding. Then I package it for sale. I am building a brand. To help grow my brand further, I keep attending various training on branding and packaging. I went as far as Mbarara and I was trained on branding.

How I have benefited from coffee

I have moved from being a coffee grower… a pensioner looking to earn a living after retirement to a coffee entrepreneur. I thank institutions such as UCDA and other partners that have guided me on this journey. The training I have attended helped me reach this far. I now add value to my coffee.

From a kilo of coffee, I get between UGX 30,000 to UGX 40,000. Here in the garden, a kilo goes for only UGX 5,000. 

Kobusingye says value addition is the way to go

People here have not appreciated the importance of value addition. I have exhibited in different parts of the country. I have traveled to different parts of Uganda because of coffee. I am very proud of this. Looking back, I am very happy with what I have achieved. I didn’t know that coffee would take me places, make me meet people of great importance.

Venturing into coffee tourism

We have a lot of tourists coming to Rubirizi. Tourists come to see different attractions. They go to Queen Elizabeth National Park, Fort Portal Tourism City, Mweya Safari Lodge in Kasese District, and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park Uganda. Rubirizi is at the intersection of these attractions. So, the Uganda Coffee Tourism Association (UCOTA) connected me to some tourists. Before COVID-19 struck, they used to visit my home and I would prepare the tourists coffee. This was part of the coffee experience I was offering. Tourists also used to come here for home-stay. I take them to the coffee garden to pick coffee. Most tourists who come here have never seen a coffee plant, mango tree, or even an avocado. So I take them to the coffee garden and they get to see these things for themselves. I have visitors from the UK, USA, and Pakistan. 

The tourists love the coffee I grind myself. They want to be part of the process. They like the freshly ground coffee from here. They love the coffee I make at home. I also process coffee and make special packages which I deliver to some of the hotels here. I brand the coffee myself. I put my sticker and customize the branding for the hotels. However, since COVID-19 struck, the coffee business has been slow.

Challenges

Our biggest challenge is poor postharvest handling. Many farmers pick green coffee and pile it. It ferments and loses the quality.  We are made to believe that when you leave the coffee to ferment for two  days, it dries faster. This compromises the quality of coffee.  UCDA should come in to support farmers to address some of these challenges. This will give us the strength to pool resources, produce more, and bargain for better prices  collectively. 

Another challenge I have realized is that people don’t want to work in groups. Yet working together gives us the strength to market our coffee. ACPCU one time came and mobilized us into groups. They wanted to buy parchment from the farmers. Unfortunately, the groups eventually collapsed. These are missed opportunities to help our people fight household poverty.  My call to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) is to continue sensitising people about the value of coffee. 

Most people don’t appreciate coffee as food. They don’t give it the care it  deserves. They only see it as a cash crop…a business. UCDA should encourage us to care for the coffee and treat it as a business.  Farmers need follow-ups. I have taken the initiative to visit most of the farmers  in my farmer group. 

Market opportunities

 Before Covid-19, I could sell about 5kgs in a month but the market has dwindled. Travelers have not been coming in but I hope for better when the market opens up.  I had gotten market in Bwindi but the travel is very challenging. I am now grooming my son to manage the business and the travel. He is more involved now. As I get older, I cannot travel the way I used to.  I have 10 acres of coffee and it is not one block. It is fragmented. After harvest, I can roast it all. I add value to the coffee. This gives me better returns than selling it to traders.  Coffee tourism has a bright future for me. Although we had a few challenges, I see the economy has opened up, and we look forward to more visits from tourists.

-UCDA

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