Our Story
Nzonzi Coffee works directly with collection stores across four regions, paying a transparent daily price for cherry and roasting in small batches so every bag can be traced back to the people who grew it.
Buganda Region
Farmed by the Baganda community
Grown by Baganda smallholders on the lake-basin lowlands around Masaka and Kayunga, where coffee has been part of daily life for generations -- coffee berries were traditionally chewed and exchanged as a mark of friendship long before they became an export crop. Most farms intercrop Robusta with banana and other food crops rather than growing it alone, and that lower-altitude, sun-grown tradition gives the cup its full body and low acidity.
- Altitude
- 1,100 - 1,300 masl
- Flavour notes
- Dark chocolate, roasted nuts, molasses
Eastern Uganda
Farmed by the Bagisu (Bamasaba) community
Farmed by Bagisu households on the volcanic slopes of Mount Elgon, in the districts around Mbale and Sironko where Arabica has been grown since it was first planted there in 1912. Cherry is pulped, fermented and washed clean before drying on raised beds, a tradition that has made this one of Uganda's most recognised specialty coffee areas -- and the source of the cup's bright, wine-like acidity.
- Altitude
- 1,450 - 2,200 masl
- Flavour notes
- Citrus, red grape, floral
Western Uganda
Farmed by the Bakonzo (Konjo) community
Grown by Bakonzo farming families on the northern slopes of the Rwenzori Mountains around Kasese, where small, organic plots are worked as a family effort and women play a leading role in the farmer groups that manage them. The high altitude and cool, misty conditions slow the cherry's ripening, deepening the cup into red fruit and chocolate.
- Altitude
- 1,400 - 2,200 masl
- Flavour notes
- Red berry, dark chocolate, balanced acidity
Northern Uganda
Farmed by the Alur community
Cultivated by Alur farmers in the cool West Nile highlands around Zombo and Nebbi, near the Uganda-DR Congo border, where small washing stations co-owned by farmer groups process each microlot separately. It's a newer specialty area for Uganda, and the altitude and unhurried processing give the cup a delicate, floral character that stands apart from the rest of the country.
- Altitude
- 1,550 - 1,850 masl
- Flavour notes
- Floral, stone fruit, delicate acidity
How the chain works
- 1
Farmer
- 2
Collection store
- 3
Huller
- 4
Trader
- 5
Exporter
- 6
Roastery