A nutritionist in love with coffee

On a Wednesday morning, I set off for Misindye Goma Division in Mukono District to meet Teopista Nakkungu, one of the successful farmers in the coffee value chain in Uganda.

On arrival, I am welcomed by a woman with a beaming smile and she takes me on a tour of her coffee farm and coffee seedling nursery known as Jogo Coffee Nursery. In a world where the youth do not find agriculture admirable, I marvel at the works of a woman whose world revolves around coffee. 

Background

As we take a walk in the coffee plantation in the mother garden and the green house, where the plants are bred, I later learn that she has planted coffee, sold it, marketed it, been involved in processing it and mentored other women to make a living out of coffee growing. After losing her parents at a tender age, Nakungu’s elder siblings took on the responsibility of raising her.

At the time she was growing up, she recalls that the main income generating activity in the central region was coffee farming and this meant every homestead needed to have a coffee farm.

“I used to pick coffee berries during harvest time. We got school fees by selling coffee,” she recalls. Her education journey was not a smooth one but with the help of her siblings, she completed a degree in food and nutrition in 1996. Nakkungu is a scientist, who majored in research work on coffee as a plant.

 “During my Second Year at university, a visiting professor from the US, Prof Michael Ameny, my supervisor and his deputy,  Dr Henry Ngabirano, advised me to pursue my research in coffee farming and its value chain. I have not regretted this piece of advice. Coffee has made me who I am today,” Nakungu says.

Career journey

Through networking, Nakkungu got her first job immediately after completing university. She was hired by Kyagalanyi Coffee Ltd in Kampala as  a development agent to inspect the quality coffee meant for export.

At Kyagalanyi Coffee Ltd, she worked with other coffee companies in the value chain. Some of the companies include Ecom Agro industrial Corp Ltd, which established Kawacom Uganda Limited focusing initially on the export of Ugandan robusta coffee,  and Cotecna Uganda Ltd.

Over the years, Nakkungu has taken part in a number of international conferences in the coffee value chain. After mastering the coffee business, at some point, she stopped working for various organisations and started out as a freelancer. “In 2013, I decided to invest in a coffee nursery business, where I invested about Shs50m. I purchased four acres of land in Mukono District and other materials for setting up green houses,” she says.

Working with development partners in the coffee value chain and securing market for coffee farmers is one of Nakkungu’s greatest achievement.

Nakkungu is currently managing the secretariat of International Women in Coffee Alliance Uganda Chapter. IWCA Uganda Chapter  spearheads campaigns and sensitisation programmes of women in coffee growing regions, mainly in central and eastern Uganda aimed at supporting women to grow more coffee.

IWCA is a global network of women in coffee, with 27 countries that advocates for elimination of barriers for women dealing in coffee and processing through provision of resources for women to connect with other women in various countries in coffee value chain.

Established in 2012, the Uganda chapter by women aims at building the capacity of women engaged in coffee farming and processing.

Leadership role

 “As a team, we drafted the constitution and started soliciting funds from different partners in order to extend best coffee practices to other farmers, especially women. A number of women in coffee growing regions are excelling in coffee processing,  with a number of them having reputable brands and others are roasters,” she adds.

She has been part of a global network and has on several occasions shared her experiences in international conferences of women on coffee in countries such as Brazil, India, and the US, among others. She urges women take leadership position wherever they are.

She says training women to embrace coffee growing for commercial purposes is no mean task , adding that just one step missed when raising coffee seedlings is enough to cause a significant loss.

Diversification

Since Nakkungu is good at networking both locally and internationally, she used this as leverage to penetrate the fashion industry.  “Besides my coffee business, in 2014, I started making orders for designer clothes from countries such as Turkey, USA and China. I operated a mobile business and within a short time, business started flourishing.  I decided to establish a physical fashion outlet known as Entire Family Boutique,” she says.

Due to Covid-19 challenges such as travel bans, she makes purchase orders online from importing countries. Although she incurs a lot of expenses in taxes, she cautions women against depending on one source of income.

“Support from the strong-willed and well-connected women has helped me get to where I am today. I have also worked closely with many outstanding men, whose unfailing support, respect and confidence in me have propelled me to be the best I can be,” she says.

Future

Nakkungu says she wants to grow more, especially in the coffee value chain. Apparently,  together with selected women, they are packaging their own coffee brand in a bid to encourage Ugandans to consume coffee. But they are soliciting the processing service from other colleagues who have better equipment for roasting.

She plans to acquire her own roaster and process coffee in large quantities for the local market and for export. “I want Ugandans to appreciate our own coffee because it has the best aroma coupled with its food nutrient such as pantothenic acid (vitamin B5, riboflavin (vitamin B2), niacin (B3) and thiamine (B1), potassium and manganese,” she says.

Her role models

Growing up, Nakkungu read a lot about the great works of Maya Angelou, an American reknowned poet and civil rights activist and throughout her life, she was a strong advocate for racial and gender discrimination.

“Despite her tragic experiences, Angelou shared her story with the world. One of her books that I easily relate with is, I know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” Nakkungu says there are many other women who inspire her, especially those who  do not let challenges become their limitations.

“I have great respect for small business operators, who strive to feed and fend for their families. I salute all single mothers who never gave up on their dreams but also have done a great job in raising children,” she says.

“One of the biggest challenges you are going to experience will come from fellow women who think you are a threat to their success and will do everything possible to stifle your growth and progress. 

“While most of us want to be kind and nurturing, we struggle with our darker side – feelings of jealousy, envy and competition. So watch out and do not be a stumbling block to another woman,” she advises.

Limited resources

Learning from peers and embracing mentorship programmes are some of the strategies that Nakkungu has used to rise above the ordinary. She urges women to take on leadership positions.

Asked why most people do not find agriculture admirable, Nakkungu says both women and the youth have limited access to resources for production.

“Uganda is a highly patriarchal society, where everything in a home belongs to the man and decisions are made by him. But also, agriculture is not professionalised in Uganda to make it admirable,” she says.

She adds: “People still view agriculture as a punishment. Until recently, students only sign up for agriculture courses after failing to get marks to study medicine or other science courses.”

Dreams

But through continuous sensitisation, women and the youth are now practicing agriculture.

Her dream is to see everyone appreciating agriculture as a venture that can provide decent income with proper facilitation and investment.

Most of the skills can be learned with access to information and training. But the 21st Century calls for people to be tech- savvy in order to earn from agriculture.

“You can be in office in Kampala and still supervise your farm in Fort Portal if you embrace technology. You can access markets without ever leaving the comfort of your work environment. People these days attend virtual cupping sessions for their coffee and negotiate the price in real time,” Nakkungu says.

Nakkungu says for profitable coffee growing, old shambas, pests and diseases  and effects of climate change need to be eliminated.

Securing market

“Under IWCA, we have an opportunity of direct trade where we post on the IWCA Global portal lists of available coffee from our members. For example, a partnership between Ugandan farmers and Mutombo was recently launched in the US,” she says.

This partnership, she says is aimed at securing market for coffee producers. The opportunity is beginning with East African countries, but for the women to participate, they must do this as a profitable business that will be sustainable with good volumes and quality coffee. 

Nakkungu does coffee seedling business in her farm in Mukono but does not farm coffee.