Feature Filter: Muki Fruity by The Coffee Yard (Anaerobic Natural) | Uganda

About this coffee and The Coffee Yard:

The Coffee Yard is a coffee drying facility founded up by Norman Mukuru - a highly experienced local producer. Receiving cherry from around 600 small-holder farmers, the Coffee Yard specialises in natural processing, creating different cup profiles with varying degrees of fermentation. This coffee is named after Norman Mukuru (founder) and Maria Kirya (head of quality) and it is processed using the anaerobic natural method with initial in-cherry fermentation before slow drying on raised beds. The result is a lovely, juicy and mildly boozy cup, reminding us of very ripe pineapple. The coffee is exported in collaboration with The Coffee Gardens, our export partner in Uganda. They work closely with Norman, providing training and support for growers and raising coffee quality in the region.

About The Coffee Gardens:

The Coffee Gardens project was established in 2017 by three friends - Dana, Michael and Shak - with the goal to produce specialty coffee in an ethical way, offering a transparent and direct link between our coffee farmers and coffee drinkers. Initially working with only 1 farming family in their first years, the operation quickly grew and they now work with over 600 coffee growing families.

As the CG team explains:

Quality is our reason for being. It allows us to pay farmers high prices and still invest in agricultural, social and environmental activities. Of course, the foundation of a good coffee is fresh, red, ripe cherries full of sugars to feed the fermentation process. In a time of intense price volatility, we work hard to create the right incentives so farmers decide to deliver only red cherries day after day. We also have rigorous sorting protocols in place starting in farmers’ gardens, and at every stage from our buying centres, throughout processing and all the way to export preparation.

Whilst quality is at the centre of their coffee production, The Coffee Gardens team work holistically to contribute to positive local development. With clearly defined objectives, they strive to improve farmers income and livelihoods, create and provide rural employment, promote gender equality, increase transparency and traceability throughout the supply chain, promote and work on environmental protection in the area and provide farmer training in Good Agricultural Practises (GAP).

The Coffee Gardens also incentivise and reward farmers through a number of different monetary and non-monetary ways. These include post-season bonuses, additional income-generating and employment opportunities, tree distribution and a range of all-year-round training programs. The Coffee Gardens is transparent with their partner farmers about buying policy and prices, providing each registered farmer with a contract and a buying-record book, communicating any price changes via SMS to registered farmers, and providing receipts for every transaction.

In their own words

We are more than a coffee buyer, processor and exporter. For our farmers, we try to be a reliable and consistent partner the whole year round. When we are not buying coffee, we deliver trainings and implement development projects.

When we consider impact, we think about economic, social and environmental elements - and these are all intertwined. A farmer with low income levels and limited savings may find it hard to follow sustainable practices and invest in their gardens. Instead, farmers may prioritise finding quick sources of income to meet urgent needs. So. by approaching the needs of farmers holistically, we are working to create long-term change.

You can find out more about their vision, impact and methods here.

We have been following the work of TCG for some time and are very excited to finally add one of their delicious coffees to our offering. We deeply respect and admire their dedication and work in producing excellent coffee whilst supporting rural communities and protecting the environment. We hope you enjoy this tasty lot all the more having learnt their admirable story.