The subtle mad rush for coffee business in Ghana is a ‘secret’ known by some industry few.
Thanks to an American woman, Dorinda Stewart-Kline who first stepped into Ghana in 2006 and has dedicated her entire life to reform Ghana’s coffee industry that was virtually non-existent at the time.
The 62-year old strongly built and outspoken woman didn’t set out to become Ghana’s top coffee maker; as she explains to Business World Ghana, she got into the country by default, saw opportunity in coffee and gave it her best shot.
The result is Upcountry Coffee- Ghana’s only locally sourced and processed gourmet coffee from the fields to the cup.
Dorinda launched her research into Ghana’s coffee industry at a time when the industry was suffering its biggest setback during the electioneering year that saw President John Agyekum Kufour hand over to Late President John Evans Attah Mills but officially launched Upcountry coffee in 2012.
Wondering why it took so long to finally launch?
Hurdles that beset the establishment of the business was simply unending;
“A partner funding the research process was killed in a motor accident 6 months into the project. That was really a big setback. I didn’t quite recover from that tragedy for quite a few years,” she recounted.
For many, this would have been the end of the road and “concerned” neighbours and friends gave 101 reasons for her to go back to her home country.
But apart from her resilience, Dorinda was tied to something else- that she refused to abandon, her newly adopted Ghanaian child.
“By then I had adopted a child, before the accident happened it wasn’t an opportune time to bail out.”
She wasn’t ready either to battle out challenges associated with taking an adopted child along to the US.
“So I decided to stay in Ghana and just pursue the coffee which was what I did,”
But just when she had settled on what exactly to do next, another storm was brewing.
When she started test marketing her processed coffee, she run out of coffee beans and cash.
Now this was a really difficult moment because she had no source of steady income and had a kid to take care off.
Things started falling into place when she met an investor in 2009 coupled with proceeds from the inheritance she acquired when her father passed away.
Drying coffee beans
Photo credit- Kajsaha.com
Fast forward 2018
To date Upcountry coffee has been Ghana’s only locally processed, commercially successful, gourmet and a highly sought after premium Robusta coffee brand, but there will soon be an onslaught of new roasters, says its founder.
With her more than two decades experience in roasting coffee, the business’ claim to success amidst the influx of imported coffee brands is, “controlling the processing in the fields and a careful bean selection.”
“The coffee always has a positive response. We have never had one person say, I don’t like your coffee or it wasn’t great,” says Dorinda.
Ghana’s coffee business
Report from the International Coffee Organisation (ICO), indicates that global coffee exports amounted to 10.88 million bags in 2017.
Ghana is said to be lagging among its peers such as Kenya, Uganda and Ivory Coast who are the leading coffee producers in Africa
Improving farmer livelihoods
Throughout the interview, she constantly emphasised on improving the lives of small holder farmers she has worked with over the last 5 years. For her, growing and processing coffee isn’t all about making money for herself but rather empowering farmers and ensuring that they enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Coffee growing is a hard row to hoe and its important to find ways and means to encourage the youth to get invloved in growing coffee, by making it more attractive.
“We work with small farmer groups to improve their processing skills in the fields and we provide them with information on best processing practices and basic implements.”
“We pay them incrementally more than the normal rate to process the coffee to meet our standard.”
Staff and farmers
Local coffee with huge international appeal
Although, the initial idea was to grow, process and sell locally, Upcountry coffee has traveled all over the world by selling at local gift and souvenir shops, but requests for export have not been met as a result of the size of the business- It lacks the capacity to meet huge international demand.
“When I started Upcountry coffee, it was seriously underfunded in the beginning so it’s been hard to expand,” she noted.
However, expansion isn’t something she is totally shying away from as she looks forward to acquire a bigger roaster to aid in meeting local and international demand
The business started production with one ton but has gradually increased production by one ton per year for the past 6 years.
Dorinda Stewart-Kline- CEO, Upcountry Coffee
Miserly right?
No, don’t get it twisted! She has an agenda for the coffee business which is far different from the government’s.
“My interest isn’t in growing more coffee…but making better coffee but the government’s agenda is to grow more for export with focus on contributing to GDP (Gross Domestic Product)”
She is not claiming the title as the first person to start a coffee roasting company in Ghana. According to her, Bongo coffee a now defunct roaster was a large company that supplied coffee in huge volumes to a lot of institutions during the 1960’s and 1970’s.
She sees herself as more of a trailblazer in what is happening now- the mad rush for coffee business in Ghana, or simply the coffee revolution.
By Business World Ghana/Pamela Ofori-Boateng