Members of the Uganda Coffee Roasters Association pose for a photo after a meeting held ahead of the AGM at USSIA offices in Lugogo.
Coffee roasters under their umbrella association, Uganda Coffee Roasters Association (UCRA), have pledged to reshape the Uganda industry by promoting the value addition agenda and driving up domestic coffee consumption.
The commitment came at a meeting that members of UCRA held to usher in new leadership at the Uganda Small Scale Industries Association offices in Lugogo artha Wandera, Board Secretary of UCRA and a member on the Uganda Coffee Development Authority Board representing roasters noted that Ugandans need to consume the coffee they grow if the country is to reap maximum returns from coffee.
“We need to take a leaf from Ethiopia who are the top coffee producers in Africa and consume about half of what they produce. What this means is that all this money [from domestic coffee consumption] goes back to their economy,” Ms. Wandera said.
She added that coffee roasters play a vital role in value addition and if they are to grow the industry, they need to come together and work towards a common goal.
“As roasters, we need to speak with one voice to be able to influence policy, lobby government for resources and grow Uganda’s market share of roasted coffee at both local and international level,” Ms. Wandera said.
The outgoing UCRA Chairperson, Hajj Abasi Kazibwe Musisi popularly known as Nguvu and a founding Member of the association expressed delight at the growth of the association.
“UCRA was founded way back in 2002 with just five members and none of us could have imagined the journey that lay ahead. Our vision then was to bring all coffee roasters together under one umbrella to lobby government and build the coffee industry together,” Hajj Musisi said.
He acknowledged that the old leadership faced numerous challenges and admitted that several setbacks had hindered their activity and engagement. However, Hajj Musisi emphasized that with new leadership, formal registration of the association, and the opening up of membership, a new chapter of growth is beginning for the association.
“The journey began with constituting ourselves into a proper Board. We appointed Ms. Martha Nalubega as our Board Secretary and Mr. Tonny Bocana as the Executive Director to enable us complete the assignment. I am therefore very happy to officially announce that UCRA has opened its doors to new members,” Hajj Musisi said as he welcomed both seasoned roasters and newcomers to join the roasters association.
“To the young roasters who have chosen to join us on this journey, I extend my heartfelt gratitude. Your decision to align with UCRA speaks volumes about your commitment to the coffee roasting industry and your belief in the power of working together. As we embark on this new phase together, let us uphold the values of unity, respect, internal democracy, and accountability within our Association,” he noted.
UCRA held its Annual General Meeting on 20th June 2024 and elected the following new office bearers; Dick Wadada-Chairperson, Martha Nalubega Wandera-Vice Chair, Omulangira Mathias Mulumba Suuna-Secretary, Meddie Ziwa-Treasurer, Innocent Magezi-Youth Rep, Annet Nyakaisiki-Women Rep, Martin Nangoli-International Trade Rep.
The officials will serve for a period of one year.
In his remarks to members, the Chairperson elect UCRA, Dick Wadada, MD DICANA coffee thanked the outgoing committee for their commitment and service to the coffee fraternity and promised that the new team would build on their achievements.
Mr. Wadada emphasized that the committee, during its tenure of office would focus on strengthening areas where the coffee fraternity has been weak such as marketing Uganda’s roasted coffee in international markets and promotion of domestic coffee consumption.
“Uganda is not very visible on the international coffee market and yet we need to be there. Our team will work towards this goal,” Wadada noted.
He also urged farmers to harvest red ripe cherries so as to promote quality coffee and its products. He pointed out that coffee quality starts at the farm and as roasters, to produce high quality coffee, they need to work closely with the farmers to ensure quality from the farm to the cup.
Credit: UCDA
