Robusta?? We started this partnership because Wakuli believes robusta deserves a place amongst our other single origin coffees. Our spicy robusta serves a group of customers that appreciate quality, understand and support our mission but who have a taste for more traditional, slightly darker coffee with typical notes like smoky spices and dark chocolate. With this new robusta from the Kalisizo cooperative in Masaka we are bringing variation into our offering for all you robusta lovers out there!

Bless Agume, age 39 | Operations Director at Ndugu Framers Ltd., Masaka, Uganda

Ndugu Coffee Farmers Limited is a Ugandan social enterprise representing over 6,000 coffee farmers across 23 cooperatives in the Masaka region, known for quality Robusta coffee. They focus on sustainable farming, fair trade, and enhanced traceability, ensuring fair compensation and environmental stewardship.

Could you tell us how you ended up as the operations manager at Ndugu farmers Ltd.?
“I am a child of coffee. My mother and father worked in coffee, butI didn't like it very much -oo hectic for me. I went to business school and became a business man. I set up a chain of barber shops throughout Uganda. This was successful so I was able to invest a bit in tech companies. As a result I was later sought out for my business experience. As a consultant I came back in touch with coffee farmers. I recognized their struggles and was convinced those struggles could be tackled through business. Many organisations have tried to change the lives of farmers by relying on grants. And those have failed time after time.” 

Together with his business partner Martijn Harlaar, Bless came up with the idea for Ndugu farmers, a business and trade facilitator to improve coffee farming, processing and logistics in the Masaka area and find better markets for the coffee of over 50 cooperatives.Since Bless got involved in coffee with Ndugu, he has even returned to coffee farming, learning from his father, an expert who takes a very innovative and sustainable approach to farming.

“Now, coffee is my passion. Right now I see coffee as more than just “gardening”. I see opportunities beyond the farm. As a value chain it impacts so many people and creates so much happiness, especially for consumers. Initially I looked at coffee: farmers go to the garden, digging a lot, sweating a lot and at the end of the day not knowing what they will get. Farmers were miserable and poor. From a farmer’s perspective you saw mainly misery and hardship. When I look at it now from a business angle, there are opportunities upwards in the value chain. With the garden as the foundation,farming has given me inspiration to think of models and approaches that can work for the business men AND for the farmers. In that lies true sustainability.”

What is your vision for the future?
“There are a lot of things farmers can improve on-farm. On top of that we need a good data system that can truly prove who the farmers are, what they produce and how much they earn. Taking farmers out of the shade and making the value chain transparent, beyond just a picture or a video. When consumers are aware of how much effort goes into producing their coffee, I believe they are more willing to pay a price that is fitting to that effort. This will differentiate Ndugu from other traders because we show that farmers are at the center of everything.

Together with Wakuli we are showing that if you put in effort to grow high quality sustainable coffee, you are rewarded with a good price and loyalty from your buyers. This is important because if a farmer who puts in extra effort earns the same as farmers who doesn't do much, what is the motivation to improve? 90% of our coffee goes through multinationals and we just don’t know where our coffee ends up. With Wakuli we have a short feedback loop to tell farmers what is good about the coffee, what can be improved.”

What are Ndugu’s super powers?
"I would say there are three: first, our ability to understand structures that empower farmers,like cooperatives. Their strength is the loyalty of the community to those cooperatives.  We are able to profile farmers and evidence of the farmers' existence,so that the farmer is known beyond the bean. That profile helps the trader and the roaster. And if there is any consumer that wants to reach the community it is possible. The third power is the network that companies like Wakuli gives to us. That is what takes us beyond what NGO’s can do."

How would you describe your relationship with Wakuli?
“Through a network of networks we were introduced to Wakuli. We knew that Wakuli is very inspired to reach farmers. That is why we did our best to connect to Wakuli. Wakuli visited us last year and the excitement and energy was built up. Now we are building a premium group of Wakuli farmers. Open for every farmer to join but focusing on building higher quality and more sustainable direct relations.

Ndugu is working hard on organic fertilizers and inputs like bio char. We want to make these products more readily available to farmers who qualify. If you make use of that it will boost you even further. In the future we hope that together with Wakuli consumers we can set up improvements like nurseries and water management. We believe that this is possible if the value chain is short and transparent, if farmers are known and if we work together for longer, extended periods “

What the bleep is Biochar??
Biochar is a carbon-rich material that improves soil health, water retention, and nutrient availability in coffee farms produced by burning organic material in low-oxygen conditions.  Biochar enhances microbial activity, reduces soil acidity, and locks carbon into the soil, aiding in climate resilience. When mixed with compost or manure, it boosts plant growth and reduces fertilizer dependency. Additionally, biochar helps suppress diseases and improves drought resistance. Coffee farmers use it to enhance yields, improve root health, and sequester carbon, making it a sustainable practice in regenerative agriculture. 

How do you see the role of the next generation in the coffee industry?
“It has been hard to bring young people back into coffee. Like myself, most young adults see their parents suffering and want something better. The new, more data driven approach and focus on quality are changing that. Each cooperative we work with has at least five young people working in data collection and support for farmers, in total 250 young people. They like to use technology to make a living. BUT they are also seeing that coffee can provide good extra income if they put their knowledge to use on their own farms. So more and more young people are starting to grow coffee for themselves, just like I have done."