Uganda - Sironko Station, Anaerobic Natural

Growers: Small Holder Farmers 

Region / State: Kajere, Sipi, Yilwanako-Mayiyi, Bukalasi, Buginyanya communities. Mt. Elgon, Eastern Uganda

Varietal: Nyasaland, SL-14, SL-28

Elevation: 1600 - 2200 m asl

Process: Whole cherry dry fermentation, sun dried then shade dried on raised beds 

Tropical fruit, chocolate, molasses

Processed in Mountain Harvests most centralized wet mill facility, Ibrahim Kiganda and his assistant Ruth Chebet receive cherries at Mountain Harvest’s hub of innovation and research - Sironko Station. Found at the base of Mount Elgon, staff members funnel cherry from some of the mountain’s most isolated communities in Yilwanako Mayiyi, Buginyanya, Bushiyi, Makali, Bukalasi, and Sipi. Here, Mountain Harvests expert staff have full variable control through infrastructure and tested protocols developed for the unique Ugandan context. Equipped with years of data, Ibrahim fine-tunes his station and staff each season, allowing him to take Mountain Harvest coffees toccompetitions globally to secure Uganda’s place in the specialty industry. As Uganda’s National Barista Competition winner (AFCA, 2022), you will be sure to see Uganda’s excellence from beehive to barista in these coffees through Ibrahim’s and his team’s work.

A part of Mountain Harvest's Innovation Series, this nano lot was curated by Sironko's processing manager, Ibrahim Kiganda. For a season, Mountain Harvest commits time to new processing protocols to test their profiling and consistency. Ibrahim recieved these cherries exclusively from the Northern part of Mount Elgon. Once received, he accepted a cherry board anlaysis of 80% and above and a brix reading of 17 and above for this protocol. The cherries are then placed in drums filling to the top for a dry fermentation with no water. The drum is then closed and sealed to ferment for 72 hours. The drum was then opened and the cherries placed on raised beds for 2-3 weeks in the facility's open drying space in direct sun, the drying is the finished in shade until 10.5% moisture content. The cherries  cure in a temperature controlled warehouse in Mbale, resting for up to two months for best results.

So much of coffee research that affects worldwide producer groups is done solely within the Latin American context. Mountain Harvest has found through their partnerships, the translation of methodology does not always apply to the Ugandan context. The Innovation Series provides an opportunity for the youthful coffee curious of Uganda the abilities to conduct and analyze research necessary for good decision making on the ground. With this, they find new techniques and flavor profiles each year, all awhile provides some truly fun coffees to ourroasting partners.

Farmers Services accessed in the production of this coffee include:

Income Diversification
Financial Literacy
Regenerative Agriculture
Microfinance
Professional picking program