USAID body trains coffee roasters

Oct 29, 2009

WORKERS in the coffee industry are to be equipped with coffee processing skills by a USAID project.

By David Ssempijja

WORKERS in the coffee industry are to be equipped with coffee processing skills by a USAID project.

The project, Livelihoods and Enterprises for Agricultural Development, has started training workers in basic coffee roasting, blending and ballista skills.

Susan Corning, the project manager, said the training is to ensure value addition to Uganda’s coffee.

“We are spearheading this value addition strategy with an aim of empowering Uganda in its pursuit for deeper market penetration globally,” Corning said.

The project, in partnership with the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, aims at stimulating local and foreign demand for the country’s fine processed coffee through improved quality assurance processes.

Over 40 participants will be equipped with the knowledge to roast green coffee beans and prepare products such as cappuccino, latte and espresso according to international standards.

Uganda produces about 21,000 tonnes of coffee per year, accounting for only 3% of the world’s production.

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});