KYABWIRE | Uganda | Natural

The coffees from the Kaybwire communities reflect Semilla and Empaako Collective’s commitment to working with producers at the margins of the global coffee trade. Most farmers in the villages of Nyango, Lwabana, and Kighumu cultivate less than 0.75 acres of coffee, with some managing plots of under 0.25 acres. Individual harvests are often extremely small—sometimes yielding less than 18 kilograms of exportable green coffee—making collaboration and collective processing essential to bringing these coffees to market.


A central role in this effort is played by Kajumba Stella, known locally as Atenyi, who coordinates coffee collection and harvest documentation for eleven producers in the Kaybwire area. Despite limited infrastructure and unreliable internet access, she learned to use digital tools to record deliveries and organize transparent payments, making it possible for Empaako Collective to prepare and export three separate lots during the project's first harvest season.


For many producers, this represents an alternative to long-standing challenges within the local coffee trade. In the past, farmers experienced fraudulent buying practices, including unpaid deliveries, non-transparent pricing, and manipulated weighing scales. Empaako Collective addresses these issues by working exclusively with trusted representatives from within each community, strengthening transparency, accountability, and local participation throughout the supply chain.

Farmgate price:

$3,652ugx per kg cherry

National farmgate price (avg.):

$3,000ugx per kg cherry

FOB Price: 13,08 €/kg

We paid: 17,00 €/kg

Roasted Cost: 20,26 €/kg