An update from Zukuka Bora ❤️☕️

The view from the top of the ridge on the trek to Bukhanakwa.

The latest Zukuka Bora harvest has landed and making its way to us as we speak. Heading into our 7th harvest partnering with ZB we are thrilled with the successes, but by no means is all the work done.

Reflecting on our trip to origin earlier this year we hit up Dave Bishop and the Zukuka Bora (ZB) team for some post-season thoughts.

Dave Bishop showing the Commonfolk contingent the new drying facilities in Muyanda during the 2023 trip to Uganda.

So, another harvest season draws to a close, and what a season it’s been!

As with every season the highs and the lows seem to be mixed in equal measure. The highs this season, quite literally, have been paying farmers the highest prices we’ve seen since we started in 2016. A whole combination of factors has led to this, but we’re thrilled to see more than 2,000 farmers receive prices 85% higher than when we started!

Zukuka Bora employs more than 250 local workers throughout the harvest season. Workers assist with the processing, logistics and storage of coffee.

This is huge, and the results on the mountain are clear to see. More children are able to go to school, families are able to improve their homes, and we’re seeing more and more farmers embrace coffee as a rewarding livelihood. In addition, we were able to employ more than 150 people in remote mountain communities, while creating a ‘ripple effect’ which engages so many more - whether motorcycle riders, truck drivers, carpenters, builders, shipping companies…the list goes on! It’s thrilling to see genuine impact and lives being changed for the better.

We’re so grateful for our coffee-roasting and buying partners who have played such a huge part in making this change happen. The changes described can only happen when the whole coffee chain plays its part. To put it clearly, our farmers this season received the equivalent of US$5.05/kg for their coffee – a really great result. Our costs – which include the employment of so many in harvest/post-harvest processing, as well as all the associated needs of transport, infrastructure development and maintenance – push the cost of production significantly higher. It can be quite dispiriting to receive regular requests for coffee at a cost not only below the cost of the raw coffee, but way below the cost of production.

Sipi site manager Kenny showing Casey one of Zukuka Bora’s own coffee shrubs at the end of the harvesting season.

Even with the generous prices paid by our roasting partners, it’s often touch and go whether we’ll keep our heads above the water. But we keep believing for a better and sustainable future for coffee producers, and in genuine partnership with committed buyers we hope we can make it happen.

Dave Bishop & the Zukuka Bora team