KYAFFE FARMERS COFFEE
our mission
We aim to empower women in rural Uganda by using coffee as a tool for community transformation. We do this by purchasing coffee from the women at fair trade prices, offering trainings on the coffee value and supply chain, and encouraging women to become innovators in the coffee industry. We also invest partial profits from our roasted coffee into community projects.
Our Story
Kyaffe Farmers Coffee was founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Nalugemwa. Elizabeth grew up with her single mother who was a coffee farmer, along with her other six siblings. As a child, Elizabeth and her siblings wished for the best education, medication and food. Unfortunately, Elizabeth and her family depended on one meal a day and failed to have the best education and medication. As a family they only received one US dollar per kilogram of coffee sold - not nearly enough to support a family.
Elizabeth learned at a young age that coffee is Uganda's main grown and exported cash crop. However, coffee being the most exported cash crop did not contribute to her and her families well-being. She couldn't understand why coffee was an expensive product on the market, yet her family was still struggling. After difficulties with her education, she wanted to change the life of farmers and specifically coffee farmers.
She had the vision, but she didn't have the knowledge on how to make her dream a reality. So, she decided to apply for a scholarship at the Social Innovation Academy (SINA), a unique learning environment for marginalized youth in Uganda, which empowers their learners to become social entrepreneurs. Here, Elizabeth made her vision a reality and founded Kyaffe Farmers Coffee or "Our Farmers Coffee." The purpose of the organization is to lift the lives of farmers out of poverty by offering fair prices and using coffee as a tool for community transformation.
Our Founder, Elizabeth Nalugemwa, meeting former President of the United States of America, Barack Obama. Elizabeth was chosen as an Obama Foundation Leader in 2018.
In 2019, our permanent organization was officially constructed in Mpigi District. We are located in Nyondo Village, a small community that is
mostly farmers.
The grand opening of our 2019 organization. Here, we welcomed community members, friends, and family to join us on our new adventure.
Meet The Team
Allen Nabulime
Director and Production Specialist
Elizabeth Nalugemwa
Founder, Director, and CEO
Maya Piper
Business Development Advisor
Meet Our Partner: enactus Tubingen e.v.
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meet a few of our farmers
Kasinde betty kityo
Kasinde Betty Kityo is a 67 year-old-woman that resides in Nyondo Village. She is a coffee farmer and a mother of six children, as well as many grandchildren.
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Challenges: Muchala Kityo has been challenged by climate changes that make seasons unpredictable. She has also been challenged by low and inconsistent prices of the market, as well as diseases that affect the plantation. Due to her age, Muchala Kityo can no longer dig and must hire others to do the hard labor.
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Achievements: She has been able to pay school fees for her children. With her increased income, she has been in a position to meet most of the basic needs for the family.
Understand her Challenges and Achievements >
Basirika Teawo is a 59-year-old woman who resides in Nyondo Village. She is a farmer and a business lady, and a mother of seven children.
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Challenges: Her land is too small for the work she would like to do. Furthermore, her soil has lost fertility and the seeds given to her by the government are of poor quality and have not been growing well. The market has also been an issue in the past due to low prices from the middlemen. From the business side of things - because she has had less capital from the farm, she can not invest a lot of money in another business.
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Achievements: Money from Kyaffe and the VSLA group has helped her to be self-sustainable. She has been in position to pay school fees for her children and to fulfill their basic needs. She has also been able to start up another small business with the money she gets from selling coffee. For the first time, she has been learned to save some of her money.
Basirkia teawo
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Understand Her Challenges and Achievements >
Naahayo Meaiko is a 34-year-old woman who resides in Nyondo Village. She currently has six children and is a coffee farmer.
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Challenges: She is currently struggling with climate changes that affect the plantation. Currently, she is trying to accumulate more capital. The land she has is too small and she isn't able to earn enough from her current harvest. Furthermore, she lacks the capital to invest in farm inputs that could benefit her coffee production. Paying her children's school fees has been a challenge because there are two seasons for harvesting, but three terms of school.
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Achievements: She has been in a position to take her children back to school and to provide for their basic needs. From her coffee production, she has made enough to buy food for the family, provide necessary medication for her children, and to save some money.
Understand Her Challenges and Achievements >
naahayo meaiko
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