Uganda Sipi Falls Organic Anaerobic Natural

About this coffee

The name of this coffee comes from the Sipi Falls - a series of three waterfalls that lie on the edge of Mount Elgon National Park in Eastern Uganda. The areas surrounding the falls are well known for the cultivation of 'Bugisu' Arabica, the most renowned of the Ugandan Arabicas. Organically certified, this coffee has been grown and harvested as part of the Sipi Falls Coffee Project. The project was first initiated in 1999 and has grown to incorporate more than 5,000 smallholder producers who tend an area over 2000 hectares in size. Approximately 3.5 million families are linked both directly and indirectly to coffee through the Sipi Falls Project. Through training and extension services offered through the project, producers are encouraged to improve agronomic practices in order to increase yield and improve quality. Producers practice intercropping with food crops and shade trees to improve coffee quality and foster income diversification. Field officers mentor members on the effects of climate change, good agri practices, internal control systems, water recycling, community education and organic standards. The coffee is grown on the slopes of Elgon mountain range in three distinct areas, namely the Mbale, Sironko, and Kapchorwa Districts, and is thus found at varying altitudes, ranging from 1300 metres in the South, climbing up to 1900 metres in the Central and Northern Districts. For this nation of farmers the cultivation of coffee has always been a major preoccupation and one of the few sources of commercial income available to rural families. Coffee growing has always remained the exclusive preserve of the smallholder, and the leading sector of the Uganda economy.