Ugandan Coffee Cooperative – Global Social Impact Investments

[gtranslate]

Strengthening Smallholder Coffee Farming in Uganda

Investment Date

December 2020

Fund

GSIF Africa

Asset class

Credit

Operating in

Uganda

Website

Lives Impacted

Of farmers are women

0 %

Smallholder farmers supported

This Ugandan cooperative brings together thousands of smallholder coffee farmers, guaranteeing access to international markets, fair pricing, technical training, sustainability certifications, and social premiums.

The Challenge

Spain’s last-mile delivery sector has expanded rapidly with the rise of e-commerce, particularly in grocery and prepared food segments.

According to OECD and EU data, transporting goods within cities generates up to 30% of traffic and a substantial share of CO₂ emissions. At the same time, digital delivery platforms often fail to provide secure, protected jobs, deepening social inequalities.

However, this growth has exposed two major gaps:

The Solution

The cooperative provides smallholder coffee farmers with fair access to international buyers, pre-financing for harvests, technical support through agronomists and university partnerships, and continuous progress toward social and environmental certifications.

Cooperative network

Access to credit, technical support and global markets

Sustainable, certified coffee production

Cafe-Grano-1-ACPCU-scaled-e1746914878576-1152x1536-225x300

The Impact

3,000

trees planted to protect coffee plants and soil

162 direct employees

8 sustainability certifications achieved

10%

price difference gained by cooperative farmers compared to non-member farmers

2 recent community infrastructure improvements completed (including school sanitation)

Why we invested

Strong sector relevance: Coffee is Uganda’s largest export and a key livelihood for millions Inclusive cooperative model: Empowers farmers, pools resources, and amplifies market access Environmental impact: Drives sustainable and certified production, improving long-term climate resilience Solid management and technical capacity: Experienced leadership, agronomic expertise, and strong local governance Transformation potential: Combines scale, social focus, and capacity to reshape Uganda’s smallholder coffee system

GSI’s role

With GSI’s financing, the cooperative is: – Pre-financing coffee purchases and reducing reliance on expensive debt – Strengthening its negotiating power in international markets – Expanding support services for its member farmers Together, we are helping transform Uganda’s smallholder coffee system into a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable engine of rural development.

Scaling nationwide

Purchases and reducing reliance on expensive debt

Strengthening

Its tech platform

Becoming

Spain’s reference in zero-emission, fair-wage urban delivery

GSI’s support has allowed us to expand our reach, strengthen our cooperative network, and negotiate better prices for our farmers. It’s a partnership that’s changing lives across western Uganda.

Derick Komwangi

Projects Officer