The embassy of Uganda in Turkey, headed by Nusura Tiperu, the Uganda’s ambassador- designate to Turkiye (Turkey) organised a coffee cupping and tasting session at Walker’s coffee house in Ankara.
The Sunday event was organised by the embassy in conjunction with Uganda’s ministry of foreign affairs and Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
The event was one of the activities undertaken by the Embassy to commemorate Uganda’s 60th Independence Anniversary, as well as promoting awareness about Ugandan Coffee among the Turkish importers and consumers. Uganda Coffee exports to Turkey currently stand at 3000 bags monthly.
Coffee cupping is how coffee is tasted by producers and buyers around the world to check the quality of a batch of coffee. In cupping, coffees are scored for aspects such as cleanness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel and after taste.
In her welcome remarks, H.E Nusura Tiperu Omar welcomed the guests to the coffee tasting session and highlighted that Coffee is one of Uganda’s main cash crops and the biggest foreign exchange earner; being among the top five products exported from Uganda.
Coffee accounts for about 13-15% of total export earnings and is the second highest foreign exchange earner for the country.
Amb. Tiperu noted that, it’s part of their foreign mission to promote economic and commercial diplomacy, which requires the Embassy to ensure that Ugandan products are promoted, tangibly and stocked on the shelves of stores, as getting served in numerous restaurants and cities.
She further observed that Uganda has experienced growth in the coffee industry, making it the largest exporter of coffee by volumes. Uganda is also listed as the leading producer of Robusta and second largest producer of Arabica coffee, after Ethiopia, in Africa.
“Uganda is not only a good place to do business, but one in which an investor will get the highest return on their investment,” She emphasised.
According to UCDA, Uganda grows Robusta and Arabica coffee at a ratio of 4:1. Arabica is grown at altitudes ranging between 1,300-2,300m above the sea level, while Robusta is grown at altitudes ranging from 900-1,500m above the sea level; making Ugandan coffee to possess very good intrinsic qualities due to high altitude, soils and farming systems not easily found elsewhere in the world.
The current coffee production stands at 8 million (60kg) bags while exports stand at 6.08 million (60kg) bags for the year ended 2020. The event was attended by a commendable section Members of Turkish business community especially those dealing in coffee business, and members of Ugandan community in Ankara, Istanbul among others.
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