Business 19 March 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Bugisu Women Turn Quality Coffee into Path to Prosperity
Women farmers in Bugisu region are boosting incomes through value addition in coffee production, transforming raw beans into premium products that meet national standards. Initiatives led by entrepreneurs like Meridah Nandudu empower them with training, new revenue streams from byproducts, and greater financial independence. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/quality-coffee-the-money-minting-machine-for-bugisu-women-5396294
In Bugisu’s coffee-rich districts of Mbale, Sironko, and Bududa, women are reshaping their economic futures by focusing on high-quality processing. Traditionally, they handled most labor-intensive tasks like harvesting and initial processing but received minimal returns from selling unprocessed beans to middlemen.
Meridah Nandudu, founder of Bayaaya Specialty Coffee Company in Mbale’s Namakwekwe area, sparked change by prioritizing value addition. Her team trains women on sorting, washing, drying, and grading to comply with Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) premium requirements, leading to significantly higher payouts.
Nandudu’s approach extends to utilizing coffee byproducts: husks become eco-friendly briquettes, reducing deforestation, while pulps are processed into cascara tea for additional sales. This sustainability focus creates new income sources and cuts waste.
Challenges persist, including limited equipment, financing hurdles, and market price swings. To counter these, programs incorporate financial literacy and savings groups, enabling women to contribute more to households and gain decision-making power.
Other success stories include Gloria Wekesa of Yinyauka Specialty Coffee, now exporting to Kenya and Rwanda, Maria Wekesa from Bududa who joined a cooperative for better market knowledge, and Rebecca Namutosi leading a group of over 300 farmers, mostly women, who have built homes and funded education.
UNBS Deputy Executive Director Patricia Bageine Ejalu stresses organizing into cooperatives for market access, while Bugisu Cooperative Union and Uganda Coffee Development Authority support training for premium standards, benefiting over 1.7 million households nationwide.
This article is based on a report from the Daily Monitor.