This Coffee Project Just Got Real

It’s been a few months since I’ve shared anything about the farm, and honestly, that wasn’t intentional. Life just got busy, and at the same time, this project has been moving in ways that are hard to explain in a quick update.

But a lot has happened.

The biggest thing for me right now is the coffee trees. They’re blossoming.

And I don’t think people fully understand how big that is. That means the trees are healthy. That means we’re actually on track to have a real product. Coffee takes time, so even getting to the point where they’re flowering feels kind of crazy to me. It’s one of those moments where you step back and go, wait… this is actually happening.

On the farm side, there’s also been a lot of progress that isn’t as exciting to look at but matters just as much.

We planted macadamia trees. They’re still just seedlings right now, so nothing flashy, but they’re important. The goal is for them to eventually provide shade for the coffee trees and also become another source of income for the farm. It’s part of thinking long-term and not putting everything on one crop.

We also had someone step in and help us with irrigation, and this has probably been one of the most important changes so far. Before, a lot of the watering had to be done by hand, which takes time, labor, and money every single day. Now, with irrigation starting to come together, it’s taking that pressure off. It allows the farm to run more efficiently, saves time, and reduces ongoing costs. It also means more consistency for the trees, which is a big deal when you’re trying to grow something well.

If I’m being honest, though, the hardest part of all of this hasn’t been the farming.

It’s been learning how to build something like this in a completely different culture.

A lot of people in Uganda are focused on today and tomorrow, how to feed their families right now. And that makes total sense. If you can plant something like corn and have food or money in a few months, why wouldn’t you do that?

Coffee doesn’t work like that.

Coffee takes about five years to really produce. So what we’re asking people to do is invest in something they won’t see the full return on for a long time. That’s not just a farming decision, it’s a mindset shift.

But we’re starting to see that shift happen.

We’re having conversations with the community and helping people understand that this is about their future and their kids’ future. The return might take longer, but when it comes, it can be life changing. Coffee has the potential to bring in real income, not just quick turnaround money.

At the same time, we’re trying to figure out the bigger picture.

What does it actually look like to bring this coffee to market?

We’ve started researching importing and exporting in and out of Uganda, because none of this matters if we can’t actually get the product to people. We’re also looking into doing more research in areas like the Rwenzori Mountains or Mount Elgon near Sipi Falls since those regions really specialize in coffee.

There are also real conversations happening about scale. How big does this get? Do we buy more land? The people investing in this want to understand what kind of product we’re building and if it’s something that can actually compete.

And then there’s the coffee itself.

We’re growing robusta, which is interesting because everyone always talks about arabica. But that’s also what makes this a bit of a risk, especially for a first-time coffee project.

Most of the global coffee market leans heavily toward arabica. It’s what people know, what most specialty shops highlight, and what’s typically seen as higher quality. We’re in a different lane.

Robusta has historically had a reputation for being lower quality, but that’s starting to shift. Higher quality robusta is getting more attention, especially in Europe, because of its higher caffeine content and stronger profile. It also plays really well in espresso. It gives that bold flavor, thicker body, and the crema that people actually look for in a good shot.

So while we’re not following the traditional path, there is a real market for this if we do it right.

The risk is figuring out how to position it, how to process it well, and how to make people see the value in something that isn’t always the obvious choice.

That’s where a lot of my focus has been lately.

I’ve been diving into processing methods. Yellow fermentation. Champagne processing. Natural processing. Trying to understand how we can take these beans and make them unique instead of just average. If we’re going to do this, I want it to be something people actually remember.

So what does all of this look like right now?

It looks like a lot of research. A lot of conversations. A lot of learning as we go. It looks like asking hard questions like, is this good enough to grow? Is this something we scale? Is this something people will actually want to buy?

And through all of it, I keep coming back to the same thing.

This takes time.

It takes patience, a lot of grace, and honestly just being okay not having everything figured out right away. This is a long-term play in every sense of the word.

If you want to follow along, we’ve been posting updates on Instagram at Bethuel Coffee. That’s where you’ll see everything as it’s happening, not just the highlight version.

We’re still building this. Still learning. Still figuring it out.

But for the first time, it really feels like something is taking root.