Cupping Notes: chocolate, berry, lemon, medium acidity and medium body.

This fully washed coffee is grown in the Kasese District of Western Uganda. The mountain range is called the Rwenzori. The Bukonzo farmers formed the Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Union (BJCU).  There are 1700 farmer members, which enables them to process higher quality coffee that would return more value to the farmers. There are now 20 micro-washing stations producing fully washed coffee that is very well regarded by specialty coffee buyers in the US and around the world.  

The BJCU has worked in cooperation with our coffee importer, Atlas Coffee of Seattle, to set up an onsite cupping lab and train the staff in the basics of lab management, organization, sample roasting and cupping. One of the more commendable decisions the BJCU has made was to adopt an inclusive methodology called GALS (for Gender Action Learning Systems).  This Methodology is used across all of their activities to ensure that both men and women participate equally in the coffee value chain and decision making process. In 2015, BJCU won the SCAA Sustainability Award for this work.  BJCU farmers' enthusiasm and eagerness to grow and improve year after year has made them one of the most inspiring groups to work with.