A Cappuccino Freeze please? Ugandans embrace coffee

By Gilbert Kidimu

She was lounging in a cosy chair, sipping a latte while looking out over Kampala road on a chilly Friday evening.

She watched nonchalantly as vehicles slowly passed.

"Every time the traffic is heavy, I wait here in comfort. It is a pleasant ambience and the coffee is tastefully brewed," said Ashley.

All around her were people, most of them Ugandans sipping coffee.

Some of them apparently spend a lot of their time there, working at their laptops while a cup of coffee rests on their right, said a waiter.

They, like Ashley, would rather sit in the middle of town over a cup of coffee than just go home for evening tea like old times.

Noticeably, Ugandans have ceased regarding coffee as a crop grown only for export to countries with winter. Espresso Mocha Freeze is no longer exclusive to the “ten things white people like” list. Thus waking up to the smell of burning coffee has become more commonplace.

This newfound indulgence is not going unnoticed but deftly effecting spectacular growth in the economy. According to Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDC), local consumption of coffee has been growing securely for the past six years.

While last orders ring for struggling pubs, coffee shops are booming.

“The quality of coffee served in Ugandan cafés has greatly improved, which is why there are more people drinking it, and so many cafés have sprang up in Kampala and areas around,” reveals Edmund Kananura, Quality and Regulatory Manager, UCDA.


Coffee enthusiasts at Cafe Pap Parliament Avenue

From a survey taken last year by Uganda Coffee Development Authority, there are over 60 thriving cafés in Kampala, and 34 brands of coffee being served on the market.

Café Pap for example is opening a new branch in Ntinda following two thriving branches at Parliament Avenue and Garden City.

Some of well-known coffee shops in the country are Café Pap, The Sound Cup, Good African Coffee, 1000 Cups Coffee House, Good African Coffee, and etcetera. There isn’t a mall in Kampala that doesn’t have at least two coffee shops.

Some of well-liked coffees in Uganda are Espresso Mocha freeze, Cappuccino Freeze, Café Frappes, Iced Mocha, Iced Americano, Iced Coffee and Cappuccino, African Coffee Menu, Iced latte, Iced Cappuccino, and Iced Coffee.

Paul Kalyesubula, marketing manager at Café Pap, says speciality coffees such as Cappuccino, Café Latte, and Café Mocha, are made with exciting Latte Art such as a Heart, Lozetta and Birds topped with fascinating, and personalized wording. These, he says are unique aspects of coffee that have made people more endeared to the now formerly foreign culture.

He reveals Arabic coffee as more popular compared to Robusta thanks to its superiority in flavours and a rich aroma.

“In the past decade the consumption of coffee has shifted significantly,” says Kalyesubula “Hitherto, only older people liked it, but now coffee consumption has become trendy among youths and middle aged.”

He adds that a growing middle class that is widely travelled, educated, with disposable income is another reason for the now thriving coffee shops business. Ugandans have seen how greatly coffee is adored in Europe and North America, hence adopt the same.

Coffee is also great for corporates who work long hours. A hot cup will keep you alert and strong; you will be able to go all the way till that report is complete and perfect.

A case of quality coffee

‘Development of local skills in the preparation of speciality coffees has a lot to do with rising numbers of people consuming coffee. Ugandan baristas are nowadays skilled to make coffee as tasty as the best anywhere in the world,” reasons Kalyesubula.


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