Processed in our most centralized wet mill facility, Ibrahim Kiganda and his assistant Ruth Chebet receive cherries at Mountain Harvest’s hub of innovation and research - Sironko Station. Found at the base of Mount Elgon, our field officers funnel cherry from some of the mountain’s most isolated communities in Yilwanako Mayiyi, Buginyanya, Bushiyi, Makali, Bukalasi, and Sipi. Here, our expert staff have full variable control through infrastructure and tested protocols developed for the unique Ugandan context. Remember that Elgon traditionally processes coffee at the homestead! So this is not common for the region. However, it is necessary to learn best processing practices to change the narrative of Ugandan coffee.
A part of our "Paradigm Shifters" offerings, Sironko Station is testimony to how Mountain Harvest is professionalizing the youthful Ugandan population (50% of the population is 17 and under, you read that right!) to enter the coffee industry in new ways. While the traditional way to enter the business is as a farmers, the average farmer is a 64 year old man. Now, as we shift the paradigms of what people expect of Ugandan coffee, these young people are being professionalized in processing, quality control, data analysis, agri-finance, regenerative focused agriculture, and more. While the youth of Uganda become experts in the industry, farmers become the experts of their farm based business. This is the future we envision for Uganda.
