"The training met my expectations as I was able to improve my existing knowledge and skills on preparing specialty coffees, using the natural and honey-processed techniques. I am now processing good quality natural coffee for specialty markets, and I have also trained my lead farmers on processing speciality washed coffees. The quality of coffee has improved," Meridah Nandudu of Bayaaya Specialty Coffee in Uganda reports after attending an advanced coffee processing training.
Meridah also shares her top three takeaways from the training
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The ripening series board is essential for processing speciality coffees. -
Tasting sugar levels using a Refractometer is crucial before choosing the method of coffee processing
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The process of identifying defects in coffee and understanding the impact a defect has on a cup of coffee helps maintain the high quality of coffee.
Nineteen participants from 17 companies in Uganda were selected to participate in the “Theory principles of Coffee Processing, prep for Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) Processing” level 2 training in Mbale, Uganda.
The participants were chosen from a pool of 28 participants who had participated in the introductory workshop earlier in Kampala.
During the training participants gained hands-on experience using a quality control system for post-harvest processing. The training was conducted in a washing station and involved handling fresh cherry coffee. The course focused on techniques including Pulping (removing the skin and pulp from the coffee cherry), Fermentation (breaking down the sugars in the coffee cherry), Washing, Drying, Storage, and Quality Control Monitoring.
Stephen Kiboma of Mt. Elgon Agroforestry Communities Cooperative Enterprise Ltd acquired practical knowledge on various processing methods
"After the training, we started using the honey processing, naturals, and washed processing techniques. I also acquired fermentation skills as we were not monitoring our fermentation time, which affected our processing methods resulting in low cup score. I learned how to calculate the amount of cherries we needed to process per day using our pulping machine."
The training will improve business competitiveness and coffee quality through improved processing techniques.
