Our latest special is from Uganda’s Mount Elgon region. Uganda is a relative newcomer to the world of speciality coffee having formerly been known largely for its robustas. The past 10 years however have seen an exciting growth in successful Arabica production.

Mt. Elgon is an extinct volcano in Eastern Uganda, on the border with Kenya. Due to its huge base, it is thought that the mountain was once higher than Mt. Kilimanjaro. The higher slopes and the peak (4,300 m.a.s.l.) are covered with lush forests and bamboo and protected as a national park. The mountain is home to the Bagisu people, who speak a variety of Lugisu dialects. Coffee is grown in a broad band along the mountain that stretches between 1,200 to 2,200 meters above sea level. The crop benefits from the good amounts of relief rainfall that the mountain receives and the partial volcanic soils.

Varietal: SL14

The coffee in this lot comes from the sub regions of Wanale and Budwale. These are both areas that have a rich history of successful co-ops in the 1960s/70s. However with the demise of the coops in the last 30 years, many farmers in this region turned their back on coffee and invested in more subsistence crops. It has been encouraging to see a resurgence of interest in coffee during the last four seasons of operation here. Zukuka Bora have built strong and trusting relationships with farmers in these areas, such that we are seeing a steady improvement in quality and volume. 

The Zukuka Bora Coffee project was set up to support the people of Mt Elgon in many different ways. While coffee farmers are at the heart of the project, the profits from the project are used to support their partner NGO - JENGA Community Development. JENGA have been working in the Mt Elgon area for more than 15 years, and had laid much of the groundwork to be able to build relationships with farmers and their communities. JENGA operate a range of projects - including education sponsorship, clean water schemes, savings groups, health promotion and training, and wider farming support. It is our delight and privilege to be so closely linked to their work. 

Included in the the purchase price for this coffee is a social premium dedicated exclusively to set up Village Savings and Loans groups (VSLAs) in the region. VSLAs are community-based democratic coalitions designed to empower producers to better manage their unevenly distributed incomes. Members contribute weekly to a secure communal fund managed by an elected leadership. The members can then apply for loans from the fund repayable at zero or low interest to invest in new projects such as house repairs, school fees or small business start ups. It’s a great way to empower farmers towards financial security. 

Ripe cherries are floated and hand sorted to select the highest quality. The cherries are then fermented for 12 hours and then dried on portable raised beds which allow for a majority of sun drying and movement to shaded drying later in the process. The full drying takes an average of 25 days. 

Note for home Espresso users - if you are using in a home espresso machine we strongly recommend you buy as beans and grind at home before use. A grinder is a small investment and will make a huge improvement to your coffee making. We can espresso grind for you, but every home machine is different and so we cannot guarantee it will be suitable for you.

Uganda Elgon Heights

Small batch coffee roasters near the sea in North Norfolk. Single origin beans and blends for sale to the public and trade and Sanremo espresso machines.

Grey Seal Coffee is a small batch coffee roastery based in rural North Norfolk. We carefully select ethically source green coffee beans and roast for maximum flavour. We mostly roast single origin beans for filter, aeropress and siphon brewing and also have epsresso blends for home enthusiasts and cafe and restaurants. We supply a number of outlet in Norfolk with our beans and also further afield around the UK. We sell home coffee brewing equipment and run regular training courses from the roastery. We are the East Anglia sole distributor for San Remo espresso machines and can provide cafe setup advice. We love to talk about coffee to anybody who will listen!

Uganda Elgon Heights

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Uganda Elgon Heights

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