Kingsley Griffin, originally from Canada was a school teacher that decided to start with a coffee farm in Uganda after a Gorilla hike in the area. He bought a piece of land and figured it would be easy, but quickly realized coffee farming and processing is more complicated than what it seems. Now, after some years he's totally on top of things and is only focusing on quality. Besides producing coffees from he's own farm he is also working with some carefully selected outgrowers in the region.
They have also accessed grants for a water power solution to provide electricity to local schools and a church.
Kingsley and Kingha Estate is also part of World coffee research variety program.
Kingha Collective
Kingsley works with outgrowers from different areas in the Kinungu district. Kyonza, Kisiizi and Rujyeyo. In each area there will be some lead farmers that helps organizing cherry purchase. And in some cases we can have single farmer lots from these areas.
Kingha Collective - Kyonza
- Group 1 - (Kanyantorogo sub County)
- 1300 -1550 masl
- About 200 growers.
- General farm size about 2 acres.
- Main harvest October-December
- Fly crop March-May
- About 100 bags annually.
- Charles Kenyangusi act as the lead farmer in the area. He got 6 acres of land, and are also part of the world coffee research program for varieties.
Kingha Collective - Kisiizi
- Group 2 - Nyakeshenyi (sub county)
- 1600-2200masl
- 200 growers
- Average farm size around 2 acres.
- Main harvest March-May
- Fly crop Nov-December
- Currant production about 150 bags per year
Kingha Collective -Rujyeyo
- Group 3 - (Kyonza sub county)
- 1500-1600 masl
- 70 growers
- Slightly larger farms. 3 acres average.
- This harvest about 50 bags greens
- Tw almost similar harvest periods Oct- December and March - May
- The lead farmer is Monday Abath, and he’s family got 40 acres
General farmer info
1 hectare = 2.2 acres
Most farmers have about 2 acres on average. Some have 5, a few families above 20 acres.
They will normally have 700-800 trees per acre. Average production is around 1800-2000 kg cherry pr acre. This equals to about 700 kg green per hectare.
Price for cherry
Kingsley buys at 1000 - 1300 Ugandan shillings pr kg for the higher quality
Even if the size of the farm area for coffee is small they normally have bigger plots cultivated with other crops. It is difficult for farmers to find labor to work the land and pickers for the coffee. Going price is 5000 shillings + lunch for a short day.
To organize transport and trucks to collect cherries is expensive. Kingsley generally buys cherries 3 days pr week in the season. He will communicate with the lead farmers in the group about the time for purchase. He also have to invest in training to make the farmers perform better on quality, yield and picking, and have an agronomist in charge for this. He will normally send he's cherry buyers to the areas with the truck, they will approve the purchase when the cherry quality is there, and reject if not. Or demand sorting.
Buying cherry is a cash business. They have to manage big amounts of cash during the harvest and build a network of trusted employees and lead farmers that again pay the individual producers against the receipt for delivery. There is often money lost in the supply chain. In addition it is difficult to access the actual cash as the local bank often are out of bigger amounts.
Sustainability and Environment:
Along with growing great coffee, Kingha Coffee is dedicated to increasing the income and livelihood of Ugandan coffee farmers. They work directly with farmer households, providing education and training programs, thereby helping farmers to produce higher yields and better quality coffee, significantly increasing their income. Kingha Coffee also works with local schools, providing clothing, school supplies, and agricultural education programs within the local community.
Recently, they have been working on creating a micro-hydro power station at the base of Kingha estate where a portion of the Entenjari River runs through it. The power station, when completed, will provide a consistent source of renewable energy, sufficient to power the local health center, 2 primary schools, a secondary school and the estate's power needs. All of the electricity generated will be given to the local community free of charge.
Kingha Coffee believes in giving back to the community that has given them so much, and are very proud to be part of the local community. They provide community development through job creation and market access. During the peak harvest season they employ over 85 local Ugandans, meaning Kingha Coffee is one of the largest employers in the district.
They do not use any chemical fertilizers or pesticides anywhere on their land, and generate 95% of their electricity from solar cells. They believe in the importance of growing and processing coffee in harmony with local environment and ensuring a sustainable and healthy present and future coffee supply.
