Nucafe photo
Uganda targets US coffee market
Nucafe's Joseph Nkandu, left, shows Uganda’s coffee beans during a recent U.S. exhibition.
Uganda
In an effort to increase the visibility of Ugandan coffee, the National Union of Agribusiness and Farm Enterprises (Nucafe) is set to market the product in the United States.
While the Ugandan government aims to export 20 million bags of coffee by 2020, a lack of marketing in consumer markets such as the United States could thwart that plan, according to a report by New Vision.
“Uganda’s coffee is not known in key coffee consuming countries like the US,” said Nucafe executive director Joseph Nkandu. “Our coffee is just used as a blend, but we want to change this trend and start having it on the shelves in the US.”
Supporting the effort are Chromatic Coffee and Seva Coffee, two California-based firms, New Vision reported.
Betty Namwagala, executive director of the Uganda Coffee Federation, said Uganda needs to expand its brand as a coffee-producing country. The nation ranks 10th globally but is not recognized in the consumer market.
Nucafe is a social enterprise that supports and smallholder coffee farmers who are not in position to individually market their products. Nucafe now is expected to deliver coffee samples for analysis before processed and branded Ugandan coffee can be sold in the United States.