How to raise a quality claim on a Ugandan coffee lot: evidence, thresholds and timelines
By Sandra Nansbuga
How to raise a quality claim on a Ugandan coffee lot: evidence, thresholds and process
To raise a quality claim on a Ugandan coffee lot, compare the delivered lot against the sale sample and the contract description, have an independent qualified body draw and seal arbitration samples, and clearly formulate the claim to the exporter inside the contractual claim window. On European Coffee Federation terms that window is 28 calendar days from the final date of discharge for a quality claim, with a separate 28 day clock for arbitration.
Start from the contracted grade, not the grade name
Ugandan export grades are made during export grading, the stage the Uganda Coffee Development Authority describes as secondary processing. Clean coffee (FAQ) is dried if moisture is over 13 percent, sized on perforated screens, gravimetrically sorted, and bagged (60 kg jute bags). Robusta grades are named by screen.
The reference point for a claim is the grade written into your contract. UCDA lists washed Arabica grades Bugisu AA, A, PB, B, C and E, washed Arabica graded as Wugar, natural Arabica graded as Drugar, and washed Robusta. A lot that misses the contracted grade is a claim. A lot that merely cups outside your profile may not be, because under the European Standard Contract for Coffee quality is judged against the contract description and the sale sample, and goods must be of sound merchantable quality unless the contract states otherwise.
Collect arrival evidence, not opinions
The UCDA quality assurance department inspects, analyses and certifies exports. Certification happens at export, so it does not establish what arrived at your port. The claim therefore rests on a destination sample drawn and sealed by an independent qualified body, with each container represented by its own sample.
Keep the sealed samples with the written claim. An exporter may also require the drawing and sealing to be supervised, provided it gives the buyers notice in due time and bears the cost.
Thresholds and clocks for a Uganda coffee lot quality claim
| Step | Requirement | Time limit on ECF shipment terms |
|---|---|---|
| Arbitration samples | Drawn and sealed by an independent qualified body, one per container | 28 calendar days from the final date of discharge |
| Quality claim | Clearly formulated against the contracted grade | 28 calendar days from the final date of discharge |
| Arbitration | Formal decision to initiate notified to the exporter | 28 calendar days from the date the claim was formulated |
| On-carried coffee | Quality claim after inland movement | 15 calendar days from arrival at the interior destination |
For a specialty or Q lot, the quality threshold is separate. Under the Coffee Quality Institute Q Coffee System, a 1 kilogram green sample goes to a selected in-country partner, three certified Q Graders evaluate it on a 100 point system, the three scores are averaged, and 80 points is the minimum for a Q Certificate. Below 80 the coffee receives a technical report and no certificate.
What the exporter needs to resolve it
An exporter can only settle a claim it can test. Useful claims state which grade element failed, the screen, moisture or defect evidence behind that finding, the sample seals, and the remedy sought. Where arbitration establishes a difference in quality, the buyer is entitled to an allowance that may include costs and expenses, and where coffee is unsound or radically different in quality the buyer may seek an allowance or discharge by invoicing back. Excessive moisture is one criterion for unsound coffee.
FAQ
Q: How long does a buyer have to raise a quality claim on a Ugandan lot?
A: On ECF shipment terms a quality claim must be clearly formulated not later than 28 calendar days from the final date of discharge at the port of destination.
Q: Who draws the samples that support the claim?
A: An independent qualified body draws and seals them within 28 calendar days from the final date of discharge, with one sample per container.
Q: Is 80 points the pass mark for a Ugandan specialty lot?
A: Under the Coffee Quality Institute Q Coffee System three certified Q Graders score a 1 kilogram green sample on a 100 point system and the averaged score must reach 80 for a Q Certificate.
Sources: Uganda Coffee Development Authority | European Standard Contract for Coffee | quality assurance department | Coffee Quality Institute | Q Coffee System