Our Coffee

Coffee Processing Facilities at NASAAGA:
A Blend of Tradition and Innovation

Our coffee processing knowledge has been passed down through generations, from our forefathers to us. Our traditional method involves fully washing the coffee beans and sun-drying them on raised beds. To enhance the flavors and aromas of our coffee, we underwent training delivered by the Uganda Coffee Development Authority in 2015 in Kampala at their Lugogo lab. This training introduced us to new methods such as honey and natural processing, which are practices originating from Ethiopia. We have since adopted these methods into our coffee processing techniques.

Our milling process, conducted at the UBORA SPECIALTY COFFEE FACTORY IN MBALE, ensures high-quality green coffee beans through careful sorting, cleaning, and grading.

Our factory serves as more than just a processing hub—it's a gathering place where friendships are forged and connections are made. Today, we continue to innovate by introducing new flavours and products, and hosting events that bring our community together.

Proud to be part of Mount Elgon's rich culture, we're eager to carry our legacy forward, making a difference for generations to come.

Budadiri Arabica Coffee Washing Station

• Location: Within Budadiri Arabica Coffee, Budadiri Town Council, Sironko District

• Distance from Farms: About 50km

• Altitude: 1500m above sea level

• Processing Methods: Fully washed, natural sun-dried, natural anaerobic and aerobic, honey processing

• Flavours: Aromatic fruity notes, chocolate hints, citrus undertones, balanced acidity, lingering aftertaste

• Cupping Score: Consistently high, ranging from 84 to 88.25+

We carefully process our coffee cherries at our local wet processing station and use a dry processing facility at Budadiri Arabica Coffee Mills. Our wet processing station uses a hand pulper powered by a petrol engine, capable of handling 300 kilos of cherries per hour. We have 18 fermentation tanks for both washed and naturally processed coffees, along with a washing pit made from concrete with a capacity of 3 metric tons per batch.

Our journey in coffee processing involves a variety of methods carefully chosen to enhance the quality of our beans. From natural to fully washed and honey processed, our techniques include hand-picking, sorting, pulping, fermentation, washing, and drying on raised beds. Once dried, the coffee undergoes milling, grading, hand-sorting, and packing for export.

To bring out the best in our coffee's flavors and body, we explore various methods. While our primary focus is on fully washed processing, we also use techniques like natural sun drying, natural anaerobic, natural aerobic, and honey processing. These methods result in coffees with a balanced acidity, deep flavors, and a satisfying finish, ensuring a delightful experience for coffee enthusiasts.

● Washed Coffee Processing: Handpicked and sorted fresh red cherries undergo pulping and fermentation. Following washing and drying on raised beds, the coffee undergoes secondary processing, including dry milling, grading, and bagging for export or local markets.

● Honey Processed Coffee: Only red cherries are selected and processed, then pulped and sun dried with mucilage intact before undergoing secondary processing for export or local markets.

● Natural Processed Coffee: Cherries are dried with pulps intact before fermentation or sun drying. Fermented varieties are dried on raised beds to achieve the desired flavor profile.

Drying Methods

We use 8 drying beds, each with a capacity of 1.5 tons of coffee. Presently, our methods rely on traditional techniques and local resources, but we have future plans to transition to modern equipment such as solar dryers and eco pulpers.

Our drying process incorporates raised beds. Raised beds facilitate direct sunlight or solar drying, particularly at our company washing station in Budadiri. These practices guarantee effective and thorough drying of the harvested coffee cherries.

Quality control measures are implemented at every stage, from pre-milling sample analysis to post-milling quality reports.

Coffee Milling

Our milling process is meticulous and thorough, ensuring the highest quality in every batch of coffee beans we produce.

• Before milling begins, we meticulously clean the milling machine to remove any impurities. This process involves using machine fans to blow air for an hour, followed by the introduction of 500-1000 kgs of coffee to further clean the machine. After this cleaning process, the machine remains empty for three days to ensure optimal conditions before milling our coffee.

• Once the machine is prepared, our quality officer samples the coffee to ensure its quality meets our standards. The sampled coffee is then bulked and weighed, milled in a sample huller machine, and analyses for defects, moisture content, and other quality parameters. All findings are recorded on a pre-milling sample form and approved by the quality officer, with oversight from the production manager.

• The coffee is then transported to the milling pre-cleaner to remove any dust before being fed into the milling machine. After milling, the coffee undergoes further processing on the polisher gravity table to separate the density of the beans and remove any light defects. The beans are graded based on size, with AA for screen 17, A for screen 16, AB for screen 15, and C for screen 14 and below.

• Following grading, the coffee is weighed into 70 kg bags for handpicking by women to remove any remaining foreign matter, machine bites, or insect bites. This meticulous sorting ensures only the highest quality beans make it to the final product.
  

• Once hand sorting is complete, the coffee undergoes testing for moisture quality and out turn analysis to ensure it meets our rigorous standards. Approved coffee is then bagged in grain pro and gunny or jute bags weighing 60kgs each, as per our supply contract terms.
  

• Finally, our production and quality manager compiles a comprehensive quality report for review by the trade and administration manager, who provides final instructions to the logistics manager for delivery to the agreed destination.

Bagging with Precision: Using a variety of bags including poly, gunny, and sisal, we ensure our coffee is securely packaged for delivery. Each bag undergoes thorough checks to guarantee proper sealing and protection of the coffee beans.

Optimal Storage Conditions: Warehouse Information in Budadiri Town Council

Our storage warehouse, nestled along the Budadiri-Mbale road in Budadiri town council, meticulously maintains ideal conditions for storing coffee beans. With temperatures a steady 48 degrees Celsius and humidity levels at 74%, we ensure the preservation of our coffee's unique sensory, physical, and chemical attributes.