The Cup That Counts - Uganda

Many of you may be aware of a Commonfolk initiative called ‘The Cup That Counts’. It is a program we run aimed at developing a sustainable coffee industry in Uganda (specifically the township of Mbale and the villages scattered on the slopes of Mt Elgon). Our immediate aim is to raise enough money to set up a Coffee Demonstration Farm, where locals can come and learn how to propagate, farm and harvest quality Arabica coffee. The estimated cost to purchase the land, infrastructure, machinery and coffee seedlings is approximately $15,000 AUS.

From the outset Commonfolk, as a company, was committed to feed back into the industry that gave us so much. We decided that the best way we could contribute would be to donate a portion of all coffee sales to an initiative we supported. We very quickly realised there was a need in Uganda and thus ‘The Cup That Counts’ was born. We donate 20c from every single cup of coffee we sell, as well as running charity events to raise as much money as possible.

Now to the exciting news… We made it! Thanks to our loyal customers we have managed to raise the $15,000 and more. Last year we sent over $2,000 – this got the ball rolling on the purchase of the land. Last week we sent over another $14,271.98 bringing our total money raised to $16,271.98. We currently channel the funds through a community development organisation called JENGA, who can oversee the implementation of our concept, as well as provide accountability regarding the distribution of the funds. In the long term we would love to have a Cup that Counts representative on the ground fulltime (a future goal to strive towards).

My business partners and I are planning a trip over to Uganda early next year to oversee the implementation of the demonstration farm, uncover areas of further need, and develop a clear strategy for the future of ‘The Cup That Counts’. We are extremely excited to see what our initiative looks like on the ground – and we’re even more excited to share the results with you!

Once again thank you so much to anyone who has contributed, all our customers who help simply by drinking their daily coffee, and the dedicated team at Commonfolk who are always ready to donate their time to help those in need.