Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee – Lifting Families out of Poverty

Historically, hundreds of Ugandan small holder farmers supplied lower quality robusta coffee to the world but Gorilla Summit Coffee is working to change that.

In recent years, successful efforts have been made to develop a high quality, specialty arabica coffee industry.  New partnerships with premier coffee roasters and distributors around the world (like Grumpy Goat Coffee) have been established.

Grumpy Goat Coffee is excited to share the story behind Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee.

map of african coffee growing regions uganda tanzania rwanda, dr congo, burundi

How to Order Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee

The specialty coffee is in limited supply but here’s how you can claim yours.

Gorilla Summit coffee can be ordered via email as a VIP benefit to Grumpy Goat email subscribers.

It is not available for purchase through the Grumpy Goat website.

If you are not yet receiving email alerts from Grumpy Goat click here to signup.

Introducing Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee

Gorilla Summit Coffee is a project started in 2012 by Gerald K. Mbabazi.  The singular goal is to help coffee farmers earn more income.

The program kicked-off in Kanugu, a west Ugandan village.

Traditionally the coffee farmers there were only able to produce lower quality coffee which resulted being paid ridiculously low prices—sometimes less than $0.05 per pound.

Through the skill building offered by Mr. Mbabzi’s Gorilla Summit Coffee program, farmers improved their growing and harvesting techniques.

They also constructed their own coffee cherry processing station and implemented more modern equipment.  These steps help Ugandan farmers produce higher-quality coffee.

In fact, they have achieved cupping scores well into the specialty coffee range (85 points or higher), adding internationally recognized credibility.

Better quality has led to premium prices being paid. This has resulted in the doubling of incomes for these otherwise vulnerable families. The quality of life of more than 1,800 coffee farmers and their families is improved with every crop, every bag, and every cup of coffee we enjoy.

Community Benefits Thanks to Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee

Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee wash stationThere are several transformative community improvement projects that are underwritten from the premium revenues generated by Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee.

Clean Water

We take clean water for granted in the United States. But in many developing areas of the world, clean well is difficult to access.  The premium prices earned by Ugandan Gorilla Summit coffee farmers help the community build new clean water wells.  This improves the quality of life for everyone.

Education

Leaving the world a better place for our children is a goal each generation pursues. Education is one path by which people can improve the economic opportunities available to them. The Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee program has resulted in training programs for farmers. In addition, there are new opportunities for children by building schools, even one accredited university.

Economic Diversification

Increased revenues from selling high quality coffee allows Uganda farmers to reinvest in other farming strategies such as raising livestock such as chickens. Small scale egg production is another benefit.

Health Care

Imagine not having access to a medical professional during a complicated pregnancy.  The Ugandan Gorilla Summit program generates monies that are used to build maternity clinics in remote areas. These are so essential as mothers have no access to hospital care and many of the babies die due to inadequate birthing facilities and professional care.

Give-a-Goat Campaign

Selected farmers from the program were granted goats. Then when each new baby goat is born, it’s paid forward to a neighboring farmer at no cost. As a result, an ecosystem of small-scale goat farming has been set-up. This opens new income streams for the smallholder farmers.

Solar Energy

Electricity is yet another thing we take for granted in the United States but is less common in developing regions of the world. Thanks to the Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee program, the participating growers have the opportunity to purchase solar lamps for their homes. Children can do their school work at night using safe light rather than kerosene which is dangerous to breathe.

Mosquito Nets

The most effective means of preventing malaria is sleeping under a mosquito net. Malaria is transmitted by certain mosquitoes when they bite. The extra revenues generated by Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee farmers are used to purchase mosquito nets to protect coffee growers families.

Think about it.

For every bag of coffee you purchase, a child is able to go to school.

For every cup of coffee you enjoy, a mother is able to afford a hospital bill.

For every sip of the gorilla summit coffee, you help lift families out of poverty.

Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee Tasting Notes

Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee available from Grumpy Goat CoffeeThe volcanic soils of the Bwindi mountains that rise high above Lake Victoria give the unique tasting notes to the Ugandan coffee varieties.

The common tasting notes of this region’s coffee include raisins, black cherries and dark chocolate. Recent harvests are described as sweet and heavy with tart fruit acidity, cocoa, coffee and mild berry flavors.

These coffees are grown in an area near Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and forest, a protected primeval forest that reaches elevations up to 2,600 meters.

More About Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee

One of the more heartwarming results of the community improvement projects is that human interference with gorillas has greatly gone down. Since gorillas do not eat coffee berries, this has promoted the two groups co-existing in harmony.

Since Ugandan coffee farmers and their families are able to be paid a living wage and benefit from the additional community projects there is less pressure to compete with gorilla families for the habitat.

The bottom line impact of the Gorilla Summit Coffee program is more disposal income for farmers to care for their family and to create a brighter future for themselves and their children.

Grumpy Goat Coffee is excited to share the story behind Ugandan Gorilla Summit Coffee. The coffee is in limited supply and not available for purchase on the Grumpy Goat website – only as a VIP benefit to Grumpy Goat email subscribers. If you are not yet receiving email alerts from Grumpy Goat click here to signup.