Smelling Coffee

Driving around town in my little Ford has been a little more enjoyable this week. I've been carrying several bags of fresh Ugandan coffee everywhere I go and it smells so good it makes me smile.

Last week Adam Langford, a Kibo fellow, shipped and his brother delivered to me a shipment of Kiira Kawa from Uganda. Kiira Kawa is a product packaged in love at The Source Cafe in Jinja and its profits go to provide the church facilities where so many people are ministered to.

The coffee is grown by some of my Ugandan coffee farmer friends that live on the slopes of Mt. Elgon. Another good friend Moses Kimeze, who is an incredibly gifted Ugandan church servant, asks them to grow the best quality arabica coffee in Uganda and he in turn pays about 10% over market price for it. Moses then takes the green coffee to a processing plant where it is hulled, sorted and roasted. The roasted coffee returns to the Source Cafe where my church friends package the final product in love. (The great packaging design was provided by a small American Christian owned business who wanted to support this small African Christian owned business). The product is then sold in high end craft shops throughout Uganda as well as the international airport and various hotels. While many avid coffee drinkers get a great product, many Ugandans receive dignity through jobs and are empowered as they work hard to provide such a great product. And as I mentioned above, the church can have a place to meet, AIDS victims get counseling, preachers get Bible training, and so many more God filled things take place at Plot 20 Main Street in Jinja, Uganda.

So while the smell of this coffee is very appealing, knowing so many lives are improved through it makes me smile even more.

If you'd like to have a bag from my new shipment, I'll gladly share. Just let me know if you're interested.