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The Challenge

Uganda is Africa’s largest coffee exporter, yet smallholder farmers face persistent challenges: limited access to certification, fragmented traceability systems, and vulnerability to climate shocks such as erratic rainfall and soil degradation. These constraints hinder farmers’ ability to benefit from growing global demand for sustainable and traceable coffee.

JKCC’s model - directly sourcing from farmers, providing prepayments, and guaranteeing offtake - contrasts with traditional broker-led systems, which dominate Uganda’s coffee trade. However, as JKCC scales, it aims to strengthen institutionalised governance, ESG capabilities, and comply with evolving regulations such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) to maintain market access and attract long-term investment.

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The Opportunity

JKCC is investing in a fully integrated coffee value chain, including processing, grading, and traceability systems. By expanding its operational capacity and embedding climate-smart practices, JKCC aims to:

• Increase farmer incomes significantly compared to traditional sourcing models.
• Scale organic certification and climate-resilient farming practices.
• Enhance gender and youth inclusion across its farmer network.
• Position itself as a regional leader in sustainable coffee production.

Origination Facility Support

The €120,000 DFCD grant will enable JKCC to:

• Strengthen institutional capacity through ESG governance training, policy development, and integration of climate and nature risk management.
• Deploy a digital traceability system aligned with EUDR requirements, integrating geospatial mapping and compliance dashboards.
• Scale farmer resilience by expanding organic certification, promoting agroforestry, and delivering climate-smart agriculture training through a Train-the-Trainer model.
• Advance gender and youth inclusion via targeted assessments and interventions.

These interventions will de-risk JKCC’s growth trajectory, improve its bankability, and lay the foundation for future financing from impact-aligned investors.

Forecasted Impact

JKCC aims to unlock the following impacts:

• Farmers: Scale from 7,400 to 15,000 smallholders by 2028.
• Land: Sustainably manage over 5,000 hectares, with expanded agroforestry and organic practices.
• Livelihoods: Increase farmer incomes through fair pricing, certification premiums, and climate-smart productivity gains.
• Climate Resilience: Strengthen adaptation through shade-tree planting, soil health improvement, and biodiversity-friendly farming.
• Institutional Strength: Embed ESG governance and compliance systems to meet international standards.

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Looking Ahead

By combining JKCC’s farmer-centric business model with WWF’s conservation expertise and DFCD’s catalytic finance, this partnership will deliver scalable solutions for climate-resilient coffee production in Uganda. The project sets a benchmark for inclusive, nature-positive agribusiness, positioning JKCC to attract future investment and drive sustainable growth across East Africa’s coffee sector.

“On behalf of JKCC, We are very grateful to partner with DFCD through the grant which will enhance our internal sustainability systems, improve quality and continue growing as a sustainable coffee exporter and as a result improve the livelihoods of our key stakeholders; the Farmers , their communities and Ugandas coffee Sector.”                                                                             - JKCC CEO and Founder,  Julius Kalulu

“JKCC has seen incredible growth in recent years, they are a fast-growing company with strong roots in Uganda’s coffee sector and a strong vision for inclusive, climate-resilient growth. We’re proud to support their next phase as they scale up traceable, sustainable sourcing models that create real value for smallholders. This partnership reflects exactly the kind of impact-driven business DFCD seeks to back - local, practical, and ready to grow with purpose.”                                 -  WWF DFCD East Africa Regional Lead, Ian Isherwood

Contact 

For more information, contact Ian Isherwood, DFCD Regional Lead for East Africa at iisherwood@wwf.nl. In case you have any grievances in relation to this project of the DFCD’s Origination Facility, please contact us through our service desk at servicedesk@wwf.nl.