Roasters who will not touch robusta: what Uganda's Kampala masterclass changes in a buyer's roast profile conversation
By Sandra Nansbuga
Roasters who will not touch robusta: what Uganda's Kampala masterclass changes in a buyer's roast profile conversation
The Uganda Specialty Coffee Roasting Masterclass ran in Kampala on Thursday 5 November 2026, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries with Nonda Coffee, Little Farms and Clarke Farms, and led by Nicolas Fleck of Austria's Fleck Coffee. More than 50 value-chain actors were expected, as the Nile Post reported from Kampala.
What came out of the room is worth a buyer's attention. Tom Kalyesubula, who founded Little Farms and farms coffee himself, said the resistance he meets in Europe is not about quality. "It is very painful to hear roasters say they don't roast Robusta. They have no understanding of how the bean reacts, and so they just stay away from it," he told the masterclass, adding that several European cafes already serve blends containing Ugandan robusta.
What does the roast gap look like from origin?
Fleck argued against one national roasting recipe. Altitude, climate, farming practice and the vegetation around a garden all shape how a bean behaves in the drum, so a roaster should build a curve for a place rather than for a country. He wanted "a single roast of a single origin unique to the region, and not an average roasting of Ugandan coffee." He also drew a practical split: beans with pronounced chocolate notes can carry an espresso development, while fruit-forward lots, including pineapple and banana, suit filter. The flavour is already in the bean, he said, and the roast should keep nearly all of it.
The context is a trade that has exported overwhelmingly as green coffee. Ministry figures cited at the launch put output at between 5.5 and 6.5 million 60kg bags a year and earnings above US$1 billion, with more than 95 percent of shipments historically leaving as green beans. Gordon Katwirenabo, Assistant Commissioner for Coffee at the ministry, said Uganda consumes only about five percent of the coffee it produces.
Why does this matter at the point of inquiry?
For an importer, the useful change is that roast intent can be stated as a specification rather than a hope. When you ask a Ugandan supplier for a sample, say what the coffee is for: espresso, filter, or a blend component where robusta carries body against a washed arabica. Ask for the curve the sample was roasted on, the charge weight, the drop temperature and the cupping notes on the roasted sample, not only on the green.
Ask who roasts and on what machine, because a sample roasted on a 1kg machine and a production lot roasted on a 60kg drum are different exercises. Where the supplier trades green only, ask which roaster they would hand the lot to, and whether that roaster has worked with European profiles. The masterclass exists because that last question has been hard to answer in Kampala.
What should a buyer do with this now?
Offer a target profile with the inquiry, ask for the roast date and rest period on any roasted sample, and agree in writing whether the lot ships green or roasted. Fluna's guide to kiboko, FAQ and parchment quotes covers the price side. Uganda was the portrait country at World of Coffee in Brussels in June, which Kalyesubula cited as proof that the exposure exists. The weakness sits downstream of that exposure, in the technical skill to repeat a profile at scale, which is the part a training week can move.
FAQ
Q: Who ran the Uganda Specialty Coffee Roasting Masterclass?
A: The Ministry of Agriculture worked with Nonda Coffee, Little Farms and Clarke Farms, and Nicolas Fleck of Austria's Fleck Coffee was the lead trainer. It was held in Kampala on 5 November 2026.
Q: Is robusta new to European coffee drinkers?
A: No. Kalyesubula said several European cafes already serve blends containing robusta, including coffee sourced from Uganda, and that the problem is roasters who avoid the variety because they are unsure how it behaves.
Q: Should a buyer ask for roasted samples instead of green?
A: Ask for both. A green sample with a moisture and screen specification answers the purchase question, while a roasted sample with its curve answers whether the supplier can hit the profile your bar or factory needs.
Sources: Nile Post, via allAfrica | NTV Uganda | Daily Monitor