Ibanda is a village in the northern part of Kasese District situated in one of the many valleys of the foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. Agri Evolve established a buying centre here for the farmers of Ibanda and the surrounding communities higher up on the hillsides. Farmers typically have between 1 and 2 acres of land and coffee is their main cash crop. Our Field Officers work with the farmers in groups throughout the area. Farmers have been shown how to improve their yields by using good agricultural practices. The quality of the harvest has also been greatly improved by encouraging farmers to only pick the fully ripe cherries. This gives them the best prices.
Ripe, red coffee cherries are harvested daily during the harvest season and taken to Ibanda. Salastial Masereka is our Agri Partner in Ibanda. The cherries are weighed, assessed for quality and the farmers are paid in cash. From here trucks carry the cherries to our coffee station at Nyabirongo where the cherries are floated and graded before being sun-dried. Our teams turn the cherries several times each day to ensure even drying whilst allowing the cherries to mature and develop their full rich flavours.
Ibanda has an SCA score of 84. It is a well structured sweet and fruity coffee with a good body and mouthfeel – a well processed example of the quality of natural coffee from the Rwenzoris.
