Rubanga Cooperative Society Limited

Is a member-owned cooperative society registered under the Cooperative Societies Act of Uganda in the Ministry of Trade Industry and Cooperatives. The society was registered in 1986 and is located in Rubanga Trading Centre, Rurehe Sub-County in the South Western Uganda district of Mitooma. The society was formed with the objective of bringing together farmers to produce high quality goods and in bulk for export so as to increase their incomes. Overtime emphasis has been put in coffee production, bulking, marketing and value addition. It operates in eight Sub-counties of Mitooma district namely: Mutara, Kabira, Mayanga, Rurehe, Kashenshero, Kanyabwanga, Bitereko and Mitooma. The major economic activity of the cooperative is coffee production, processing and marketing. The members of the cooperative predominantly grow Robusta coffee (75%). However, the growing of the newly introduced lowland Arabica Coffee is quickly expanding due to its success in the past four years. The cooperative currently produces about 700MT of FAQ. The Cooperative is also involved in production, processing and marketing of Maize, Millet, Cassava and Soybean. Rubingo Cooperative Society is an increasingly successful local smallholder coffee business which has a sound basis for expansion and diversification. We have an active board and a motivated management team, and a qualified accountant has been recruited. Up to date our business has been focused on coffee dry-processing and maize milling, combined with buying and selling limited quantities of Robusta and Arabica FAQ to local buyers. Gaining Fairtrade certification in 2016 and organic certification in 2017-18 will allow us to build our export business in a controlled manner while retaining some of our local business. We have a working capital fund which allows us to trade a certain amount of our own coffee. Currently the fund is at about $45,000 value. The cooperative continues to gain strides in trading in other value chain items of cassava, millet and soybean. Also providing seedlings and inputs to the farmers in the areas of Ankole region.