From the ground up: growing coffee in South Sudan

Nespresso had been the first major coffee company to re-enter South Sudan in 2011. The companyand its partner TechnoServe have been working hard to revive high-quality coffee production in South Sudan through the implementation of the Nespresso AAA Sustainable Quality™ Program.

“We are really proud to partner with Nespresso in South Sudan to work with the communities to start rebuilding the coffee industry there,“ says Paul Stewart, regional director coffee initiative for TechnoServe. “We are really starting with nothing, so we need to help farmers make the first steps to develop their coffee industry. Over the last year, we have accomplished many firsts in the history of South Sudan.”

The following are nine firsts achieved by Nespresso and TechnoServe in South Sudan in their efforts to revive high-quality coffee production:

First coffee cooperatives registered in South SudanThe project supported the organisation and registration of three coffee cooperatives in the region of Yei, the first of their kind in South Sudan.

First coffee wet mills in South SudanCoffee processing businesses, known as wet mills, which transform the cherries picked by farmers into exportable coffee beans, are essential to produce high-quality coffee. During 2013, the project supported each of the cooperatives to construct a mill.

First fully washed coffee ever produced in South SudanCooperative leaders were supported to write a business plan, and staff were trained and coached during the harvest season on how to operate the new coffee wet mills. Previously, coffee was only processed with the dry method.

First ever phytosanitary certificate for South SudanThe project supported the Ministry of Agriculture to create a template phytosanitary certificate – a document required for the international trade of agricultural produce. The first phytosanitary certificate was issued by the Ministry of Agriculture for the first shipment of coffee, which was exported to Nespresso in July 2013.

First coffee ever exported from South SudanA shipment of 1.8 metric tonnes parchment coffee air-freighted to Nespresso in 2013 was the first export of coffee from South Sudan. The first export by land of coffee from South Sudan took place in July 2014 when 10 tonnes of parchment coffee was transported to Uganda, also destined for Nespresso.

First ever non-oil export from South Sudan to EuropeAn official in the Ministry of Agriculture reported that the shipment of coffee to Nespresso in 2013 was the first ever non-oil export from South Sudan to Europe.

First exporter identified and trainedA local South Sudanese company was identified to provide the service of exporting coffee from South Sudan to Uganda. The company imports packaged food products from Uganda and therefore had the relevant experience for handling coffee and dealing with customs requirements.

First coffee export tax revenues to governmentThe county government in Yei collected export tax revenue from the coffee export in 2014, the first time the tax has been collected on coffee.

First legal processing and export of foreign coffee through UgandaWhile coffee has long been smuggled from the Democratic Republic of Congo into Uganda for re-export, this was the first legal importation of coffee into Uganda.

In the coming years, Nespresso and TechnoServe will continue to support the three coffee cooperatives by providing coaching on coffee quality and business skills, and develop the marketing channels for coffee.