Jukia 72hr

Jukia Microstation is a farmer-led and sustainable coffee production station located in Zombo District in north-western Uganda. The station was constructed in 2022 by Zombo Coffee Partners Ltd, and it is fully managed by the company and serves as a central processing hub for over 300 registered farmers in the region. 

Zombo Coffee Partners operates a regenerative approach to agriculture, and farmers supplying Jukia Microstation are trained in different ecological approaches. The farmers have also been trained to prepare and apply bioliquid foliar sprays and compost, intercrop their coffee with legumes and shade trees, mulch their fields, and dig trenches to reduce stormwater erosion. These interventions have had a tangible impact—while natural crop cycles vary, the 2024 harvest was nearly double that of 2023, a success attributed in part to these soil-reviving methods. 

The processing at Jukia station is handled with utmost care to ensure high quality standards. When the coffee is delivered at the station, the cherries are inspected bag by bag to ensure quality. Farmers sort out underripe, overripe, and defective cherries before the batch is weighed and floated.

Fermentation is carried out in 240-litre sealed bins where cherries are allowed to ferment for 72 hours. After fermentation, cherries are sun-dried on raised trays and turned carefully to avoid bruising. Moisture levels are monitored throughout, and once the cherries reach a stable 10% or below, they are stored as parchment in polybags stacked on wooden pallets. 

With the support of Grounded, Zombo Coffee Partners is now constructing a two-storey building at Jukia to serve as an office, cupping lab, training center, and community meeting point.