African Fine Coffees Review Special Edition Oct-Dec - EAFCA

The Epitome of his
Career - Lifting the
Coverted Trophy
Qn. What do you think is the future of the Ugandan
Coffee Industry?
There has been a tremendous shift within the Uganda
Coffee shop culture. A few years ago, we could only hear
of two or three prominent coffee shops, Ban Café, Café
Pap and 1000Cups, right now, we count over twenty and
the number is rising by the day as people are shifting
away from going to the bars for meet ups and breaks and
now they would rather be seen in a coffee shop. With the
right products to offer, soothing ambience and a good
service, we are going to see more Ugandans getting a
buzz from coffee.
I am very convinced that with emphasis on serving
high quality products and educating our customers
about coffee; we will see more Ugandans and expats
enjoying our coffees. Hence, the creation of more jobs
for the youth out there! It is my ultimate goal to continue
supporting the coffee shop culture in Uganda by sharing
and training Baristas and everyone out there with all
the necessary skills. The future of the Ugandan coffee
industry is going to reach a point where we Ugandans
regulate how much coffee is exported since we shall be
drinking most of it!
Qn. What advice do you have for young aspiring
Baristas?
A very big percentage of young people in Uganda are
unemployed. The coffee sector in Uganda has the potential
of cubing these numbers down. My only advice to the
youth (aspiring Baristas) out there who have not yet got
their dream jobs, please start thinking about the coffee
and service industry. By approaching organizations like
the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, African Fine
Coffees Association, a whole new line of opportunities
can be opened up. There are plenty of jobs within the
coffee industry at all levels; I believe they cannot fail to
get something that interests them.
Conclusion
During the class one of the students asked the
Robert why more and more people seem to love
coffee. Robert smiled and replied,
“Coffee triggers memories in a way almost
impossible to explain. A good coffee will trigger
great memories almost as strongly as a bad
coffee will trigger awful memories. It is your
role as Barista to make great memories. But
most importantly, a good coffee is a tribute to
not art of Barista but to the farmer that waited,
cared and loved the plant for four years. Respect
the farmer and you will respect the coffee.”
by Martin Maraka
About Champions
Of Africa
“Champions of Africa”
is a series dedicated
profiling & celebrating
the activities of the top
baristas in the AFCA
Region.
25