Sironko Station "Pure Natural" Microlot A+

About
Processed in our most centralized wet mill facility, Ibrahim Kiganda and his assistant Ruth Chebet receive cherries at Mountain Harvest’s hub of innovation and research - Sironko Station. Found at the base of Mount Elgon, our field officers funnel cherry from some of the mountain’s most isolated communities in Yilwanako Mayiyi, Buginyanya, Bushiyi, Makali, Bukalasi, and Sipi. Here, our expert staff have full variable control through infrastructure and tested protocols developed for the unique Ugandan context. Remember that Elgon traditionally processes coffee at the homestead! So this is not common for the region. However, it is necessary to learn best processing practices to change the narrative of Ugandan coffee.

A part of our "Paradigm Shifters" offerings, Sironko Station is testimony to how Mountain Harvest is professionalizing the youthful Ugandan population (50% of the population is 17 and under, you read that right!) to enter the coffee industry in new ways. While the traditional way to enter the business is as a farmers, the average farmer is a 64 year old man. Now, as we shift the paradigms of what people expect of Ugandan coffee, these young people are being professionalized in processing, quality control, data analysis, agri-finance,  regenerative focused agriculture, and more. While the youth of Uganda become experts in the industry, farmers become the experts of their farm based business. This is the future we envision for Uganda.

Equipped with years of data, Ibrahim fine-tunes his station and staff each season, allowing him to take Mountain Harvest coffees to competitions globally to secure Uganda’s place in the specialty industry. As Uganda’s National Barista Competition winner, you will be sure to see Uganda’s excellence from beehive to barista in these coffees through Ibrahim’s and his team’s work.

Process
There is a certain point on Mount Elgon where the rains subside and the team at Sironko Station can dedicate the best of the best red ripe cherries to a "pure natural" processing procedure. As the lot name suggests, this is a natural in its purest form. Red ripe cherries hailing from the Northern communities Yilwanako Mayiyi and Buginyanya of a BRIX score 18 and above go directly to raised beds for drying until about 10% moisture content. When they are complete, they rest in Mountain Harvest's temperature controlled warehouse, allowing for them to cure. Once the curing is complete, the coffees have notes of dark chocolate, cocoa powder, molasses, and sparkling tropical fruits.

Accolades
The Sironko Station is well known for bringing forth awards and accolades for Mountain Harvest. But our winnings are not our own. Roasting partners submitting the Sironko Pure Natural to competitions and review boards have gained notoriety. In 2024, a roasting partner submitted their Sironko Station Pure Natural to "Coffee Review" with a 92 point score with the coffee description "Sweetly tart, high-toned, caramel apple, baking chocolate, caraway seed, praline." This proves, once again, that we are greater together under true value alignment. 

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