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Building Partnerships for Coffee Success in Uganda: A Joint Visit by Rabo Foundation and Progreso Foundation

Earlier this month, a key visit took place to three coffee cooperatives in Eastern Uganda—MEACCE, MECAHC, and Bushika—by Anne Rappoldt (Program Manager Africa at Rabo Foundation), Imke Straaten (Program Manager Africa at Progreso Foundation), and Janet Maate (Project Manager Uganda at Progreso Foundation). These cooperatives are great examples of how targeted support and collaboration can significantly boost the coffee sector in Uganda.

Earlier this month, a key visit took place to three coffee cooperatives in Eastern Uganda—MEACCE, MECAHC, and Bushika—by Anne Rappoldt (Program Manager Africa at Rabo Foundation), Imke Straaten (Program Manager Africa at Progreso Foundation), and Janet Maate (Project Manager Uganda at Progreso Foundation). These cooperatives are great examples of how targeted support and collaboration can significantly boost the coffee sector in Uganda.

According to Imke:

The tailor-made approach of Progreso Foundation proves to be successful: Step-by-step producer organizations are enabled to shift from domestic sales to selling specialty coffee on the export market. Building long-term relationships is a precondition for success!

Anne added to this by mentioning that:

The value of our partnership in Uganda is that we offer loans bundled with technical assistance. Through this package, we support cooperatives with their transition to specialty export markets for better prices, while ensuring access to finance and timely payments to farmers.

MEACCE: Setting a New Standard for Success

MEACCE, a cooperative that has been supported by Progreso since 2020, is a key player in the region’s coffee industry. MEACCE has ambitious goals: the cooperative plans to export 16 containers of coffee this year alone. This level of success has not only put MEACCE on the map but also serves as a source of inspiration for other cooperatives in Uganda, showcasing what can be achieved with the right partnerships and financial support.

Bushika: From Certification to International Export

Bushika Cooperative, supported by Progreso since 2022, recently made significant strides in the international coffee market. After acquiring Fair Trade and Organic certifications—with guidance from Progreso—the cooperative secured its first export contract with Volcafé. In 2024, Bushika was also granted a USD 75,000 loan, which helped to boost its working capital, enabling it to bulk coffee for export. This support was essential for fulfilling contracts like the one with GEPA FT O. Over the coming year, Bushika expects to export 2-3 containers to buyers overseas, while also building a solid credit record. Progreso’s assistance has been key to this transformation, showing how strategic financial support can unlock new markets for cooperatives like Bushika.

MECAHC: A Model for Financial and Export Growth

MECAHC has been part of the Rabo Foundation program in Uganda since 2020. The partnership has provided valuable support in financial management, business planning, and infrastructure development. In 2021, the cooperative received its first working capital loan, which laid the foundation for its subsequent growth. By the end of 2022, Progreso linked MECAHC to Zwarte Koffie, a coffee buyer in the Netherlands, through a partnership with trader Keynote Coffee. This connection resulted in the cooperative’s first export contract, financed through Progreso’s on-lending facility with Rabo Foundation.

The success continued into 2023 with investments in infrastructure (including nano stations) and certification (Fair Trade Organic). This support enabled MECAHC to secure a second export contract with Supremo, a buyer that recognized the cooperative’s focus on quality and certification. By 2024, Supremo expressed a desire to scale up exports from MECAHC to four containers, further solidifying the cooperative’s role as a growing player in the international coffee trade.

A Partnership That Works: Combining Technical Assistance and Financial Support

This joint visit by the Rabo and Progreso Foundations was not only an opportunity to observe the progress of these cooperatives but also a testament to the power of partnerships. Progreso’s hands-on approach, providing tailor-made solutions and small loans (typically less than USD 200,000), complements Rabo Foundation’s broader mission to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Together, they enable cooperatives to overcome financial barriers, improve operational efficiency, and enter international markets with confidence.

As mentioned by Abner Shedrach, the General Manager Bushika:

We really benefit a lot through the collaboration of Progreso and Rabo Foundation, such as through market information and linkages, financial linkages, business planning, and capacity building in quality control and analysis. We wouldn’t be organically certified and wouldn’t have accessed the international market

One memorable moment of the visit was the chance encounter with ´Zwarte Koffie´ under a Guava tree at MECAHC. Zwarte Koffie was the first export contract for MECAHC. Progreso Foundation provided guidance (mediator) in the contract negotiations and logistics. This gave confidence to both the – at that time inexperienced – cooperative and the buyer – located remotely in the Netherlands. And with success, two years later the buyer returned to place a new order.

This serendipitous meeting symbolized the potential for continued collaboration between Rabo Foundation, Progreso Foundation, and key partners in the coffee sector.

In conclusion, this visit underscored the critical role that technical assistance and small loans play in empowering Ugandan cooperatives to grow, scale, and thrive in the international market. The success of MEACCE, Bushika, and MECAHC demonstrates the effectiveness of combining financial support with on-the-ground guidance, a model that Rabo and Progreso Foundations are committed to expanding in the years ahead.

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