Quality and Regulatory Services Directorate

The directorate headed by a Director has 3 departments: Quality Assurance; Value Addition and Promotion; and Sustainability Coffee. The first one is responsible for quality assurance and enforcing coffee regulations guided by The Coffee Regulations 1994. The second department undertakes initiatives to add value and also promote domestic coffee consumption and branding. The third concentrates on profiling, capacity building of sustainable coffee producers. The directorate undertakes the following activities:

A) QUALITY ASSURANCE DEPARTMENT
i. Regulatory Function
The department is responsible for enforcing coffee regulations at farmer, primary processors, exporters, roasters and café operators. It inspects,analyses and certifies exports.

B) VALUE ADDITION AND PROMOTION DEPARTMENT
i. Promotion of Domestic Coffee Consumption
UCDA trains sector participants in good roasting, brewing practices and machine maintenance. It also ensures standards development and compliance at roast and ground levels. It promotes coffee consumption in local promotions and holds national competitions.

ii. Promotion of washed Robusta through wet processing
UCDA is providing motorized washing stations. It provides training in wet processing and drying techniques. It sets up demonstrations in wet processing techniques.

iii. Promoting the establishment of soluble coffee plants.
UCDA trains roasters in an effort to improve the young roasting industry. UCDA will ensure establishment of a soluble plant initially through apartnership between the private and public sector with the public sector representing the interests of producers.

C) SUSTAINABLE COFFEE DEPARTMENT
i. Robusta & Arabica Coffee Characterization
This is about quality profiling of all coffee types.

ii. Profiling of both Robusta and Arabica Coffee
This entails zoning of the coffee based on the location, altitude, cropping patterns, social interactions, and soil and cup profiles

iii. Training R and Q Graders/trainers
This entails training of graders and trainers in identification specialty/fine /sustainable coffees

iv. Linking sustainable coffee producers to buyers
UCDA works with producers to scale up market linkages with buyers

  Staff