Uganda Sipi Falls Kasarem Passionfruit-Infused Fermentation Natural (30kg)

Tropical, amaretto, orange, mango
TOP LOT
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Bag Weight 30 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2023/24
Status Spot
Lot Number P8002433-10
  • 1 Bag(s)
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About This Coffee

This special co-fermented natural lot is processed using locally sourced passionfruit in the fermentation vessel. The coffee is sourced from the Sipi Falls microregion on Mount Elgon, Eastern Uganda. These farmers supply our long time partners in the region Zukuka Bora Coffee Company. The purchase price of this coffee includes a dedicated premium used to fund social projects in the community. 

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 also used to support their partner NGO: JENGA Community Development. JENGA have been working in the Mt Elgon area for almost 20 years, and had laid much of the groundwork for Zukuka Bora 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.

The Sipi Falls microregion has long held a reputation for producing some of Uganda's best quality coffees. A combination of high altitudes and generational farming experience are contributing factors which have allowed Sipi coffees to build international recognition.

Origin Uganda
Subregion Sipi Falls, Kapchorwa, Mount Elgon
Harvest Season 2023/24
Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
Processing Natural/Dry Processed
Processing Description Co-fermented with locally sourced passionfruit
Growing Altitude 1900m - 2100m
Plant Species Arabica
Coffee Grade UGA CA NAT SPL SD
Screen Size 15 Up
Bag Weight 30 KG BAG
Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact

The Region

Mt Elgon is an extinct volcano on the border with Kenya and is thought to be the oldest volcano on the African continent. The massive base and gentle slopes support thousands of smallholder farmers, with arabica coffee is cultivated across a broad band around the mountain between 1,200 and 2,200masl. Volcanic soils, plentiful rain, high altitude and abundant sunshine are all contributing factors to the excellent terroir of the Mt Elgon region.

The region is steeped in coffee tradition. In fact, Zukuka Bora’s Tangwen coffee comes from the very micro-region where Arabica coffee was first planted in around 1920, after being brought from farms in neighbouring Kenya. Despite the rich history, the story of specialty coffee is more mixed.

After independence in 1962, Uganda had a fine reputation for coffee, with strong cooperatives working across the mountain - most famously the Bugisu Cooperative Union. Quality cultivation and harvesting practices were employed and the industry boomed. However, over time, quality started to become compromised due to a variety of reasons and buyers started to become (rightly) suspicious of the quality coming out of the country.  As a result, prices plummeted, and for many farmers growing coffee was simply not economically viable. There was very little differential local market for quality and so the quality-driven processes were largely abandoned.

In recent years however, as the specialty industry has grown producers have started to realise that there is demand and economic incentive for high quality coffee.

The Process

Ripe coffee cherries are selectively harvested and then delivered to the wetmill. The cherries are floated in a clean water tank to separate by density (lower quality cherries float and are removed).

These cherries, together with locally-sourced passionfruit, were fermented in a cool anaerobic environment for 96 hours before being put directly on to raised beds to dry. The drying takes up to 30 days.

After drying the coffee is rested for around 1 month before moving to a dry mill for secondary processing (hulling, sorting, grading, handpicking and bagging in Grainpro/Ecotact bags for export.

  • Subregion Sipi Falls, Kapchorwa, Mount Elgon
  • Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
  • Processing Natural/Dry Processed
  • Processing Description Co-fermented with locally sourced passionfruit
  • Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Min Growing Altitude 1900m
  • Max Growing Altitude 2100m
  • Screen Size 15 Up
  • On Sale No
  • Top Lot Yes
  • Price Per Kg £13.95
  • Status Spot
  • Coffee Grade UGA CA NAT SPL SD
  • CTRM Contract Number P8002433-10
  • Origin Uganda
  • Warehouse Vollers Group Uk