Masaba Coffee was born from the initiative of a group of volunteers from Ticino in Uganda. After digging water wells and building schools for girls in the most; arid and poor areas of Uganda, beginning in 1999 the Association for Cooperation between Ticino and Uganda started a project to help a coffee cooperative.
On the slopes of Mount Elgon (a 4,321-meter-high volcano that the population calls "Masaba"), six coffee-washing stations were put back into operation. Local agronomists have been training small farmers, helping them to adopt more ecological farming methods that preserve soil fertility: mixed crops (vs. monocultures), organic fertilizer, regular pruning and hand-picking of cherries.
Jean-Claude Luvini learned about this project in 2010, during a trip to Uganda. On his return, he decided to make this coffee known in Switzerland as well.
![Mount Elgon](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0652/9626/9544/files/Drying_Beds.jpg?v=1681215524)
Masaba Coffee collaborates with foundations and organizations that work on the professional reintegration of people in need (in unemployment, disability or imprisonment). A portion of the proceeds continues to be donated to the Association for Cooperation between Ticino and Uganda, earmarked for the construction of schools for girls in Karamoja, a semi-desert region in northern Uganda.