A team from DET Imports, an American company based in Detroit, comprised of Tambouridis Angela Elaine (Product Sourcing Analyst), Karboske Joel Nathan (Director), Alebiosu Lanre (Partner), and Oluwole Johnson Oluwaseto (Director) was in Uganda late last month (from July 28, 2024, to August 2, 2024). Facilitated by the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID), they visited over ten producers and exporters dealing in dried fruits, vanilla, Moringa, fish, macadamia nuts, coffee, and Banana flour among others to ascertain their capacity to supply the US market.

Some of the companies visited include; Amstus Farm, Discovery Group, Zahra Foods Industry, PIBID- BIRDC-makers of tooke flour, Miecca (U) Limited, Pure Grow, Masheda Mixed Farm, Amafh Farms, Raintree Farms, Fine Spinners, and JAHL Production (U) Ltd among others.

The visit led the American team to discover the quality and uniqueness of innovative Banana (tooke) products made by the Banana Industrial Research Development Centre (BIRDC) and iced expressos produced by JAHL Production (U)Ltd. This sparked off immediate interest to have these two and other Ugandan products in the American market. There is confirmed readiness by the parties involved to pursue partnerships.

At the end of their feasibility study, the DET Imports team had an opportunity to share some of their insights about Ugandan products and their commitment to expanding markets and creating new opportunities for their partners in Uganda. Below is their brief conversation with PACEID’s Communications Officer Rowland Bon Nkahebwa.

What were some of the key factors that influenced your decision to consider Ugandan products for your imports?

We had an opportunity, an introduction to Uganda and what it has to offer and it was enticing to come and see, and once we came here, we saw the abundance of products and the opportunity.

PACEID Chairman Odrek Rwabwogo’s trip to Detroit influenced our decision. At first, we didn’t even understand all the opportunities in Uganda. We first came here in February 2024. After that, we assembled our team to come back and we knew we wanted to work with Ugandans and import their products. We think there a real story here, and we can help from the farmer all the way to our retailers and make an impact here.

What are the key factors that differentiate Ugandan products from other potential sources and make them attractive for import to the US market?

When we visited the farms, it was educating how the products are made. Like in the USA, you might find 1000 acres from one farmer but in Uganda, it is everywhere on a small acre where they do everything from seed, there are not a lot of pesticides, and everything is real, green, and organic. The environment here, being on the equator and having a 365-day farming season. Those are some of the key factors, it is a better product than other places we have been.

Also, we want to do business with the country and be involved with a country that takes care of its people. We want to be involved with those types of businesses and suppliers as well.

Can you provide an overview of the type of Ugandan products that DET Imports is currently seeking to import for its warehouse in Detroit?

We are going to be starting with coffee, not just your green and roasted coffees but some different types of products from coffee that we don’t want to get into right now. Also macadamia nuts, dried fruits, vanilla, banana flour, textiles, and moringa oils. Those are the ones we are focusing on right now. We are going to support the creatives as much as possible too. The basket-weaving women we visited at Nkore Designs by Masheda, Discreet, and others.

What specific unique features did you observe in the products from the exporting companies and farms you visited in Uganda?

The quality of the products, from the farm, they are natural, and the taste of their organic and sustainable farming practices. Training the community, training different farmers, you see the love that goes into it into the quality of the products.

Having some of the larger suppliers that we toured coming up with training programs and actually teaching farmers what to do, and the biggest part is buying their products. Knowing that the product is already sold takes away the worry to provide for their families and eases the process of going into the next season.

What are some of the challenges/obstacles you might have encountered during your visit to the different farms and suppliers in terms of sourcing products?

Some of the suppliers are smaller and they are not currently exporting up to speed on different requirements, from potentially large orders, there might be a bit little bit more time to get them up to speed. But there are good plans in place for those suppliers, a lot of them have a future vision of where they can go. You know Uganda is still new, they are not China or Mexico and we don’t want them to be. So, they are not up to those volumes yet but we see the potential and see that they can handle the capacity. But it also comes down to operational capital for whoever is doing the production and we think that could be a problem because they go and buy a new machine because their interest rates are 23-33 percent in the bank and this takes away all their profits. It is harder for them to borrow money, so I think PACEID is working well with them, helping them to obtain their goal through invoice financing from UG EXIM if they have an order so they can supply it properly and on time.  

What strategies do you have in place to handle potential challenges related to logistics, regulations, or quality control when importing products from Uganda?

Education. So, working with their suppliers upfront to make sure that the understanding is there. The travel that we do by coming here, reaching out to our resources to make sure that they can go and work with the suppliers. So we train them to make sure that they are equipped. Logistics-wise, we work together, we use brokers who can help with their transactions, for ourselves and suppliers, and also provide knowledge.

Every aspect of the shipping is important too, to ensure everything is on time and actually gets there without being spoiled or damaged. So, right from the farm, the product has to be refrigerated to make sure the temperatures are there, implement GPS systems and temperature controls that can be monitored from our offices and our cellphones, and just get up to speed on technology which we are in process of doing and we are working with everybody to get this accomplished.

What specific factors or qualities are you looking for in Ugandan products to ensure they meet the standards for importing and stocking in your warehouse in Detroit? 

We kind of live in the US and have worked in the retail business for fifteen years, we just kind of feel we know the needs of the American market. We can bring in better products from Uganda that the Americans will consume. So, we know we can recognize the trends and what is missing from our American market, not just fresh foods because a lot of these we already have there but different products we don’t have access to like the Moringas, real natural products that provide benefits, the Matooke (banana) flour. There are a lot of gluten allergies or digestive issues that we are facing in the US, so that is one product to add to the market and fill a void of gluten-free products.

So we are really looking at a lot of those products and in addition to others and what Americans are missing and what we can take there. One thing we have done is teach the Americans and show them what they need and put in their face. That is why we created a green room in our warehouse where we are going to be shooting content and showing people what banana flour can do, bringing local cooks and chefs and cook with Ugandan products, and doing presentations in different restaurants. Lanre, our business partner is in the fashion industry, he does a segment on TV every month regarding what’s new in Detroit, and what’s new in the US. So we want to take the products to the US and show them what it can do for them. This right here will create a need in the US market for banana flour.

Could you elaborate on the potential economic and social impact of importing Ugandan products to your warehouse in Detroit?

Long-term, if Uganda’s exports go up, there is obviously a higher demand, and with that comes the need to automate their facilities and have machinery that can handle large volumes. This reduces the manual labor and bumps up the skill level of the employees to now have to know how to operate and fix machines. That is one area that could be impacted.

How has your collaboration with the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development impacted your visit to Uganda and the selection of Ugandan products for import?

We probably wouldn’t be here in Uganda if it wasn’t for PACEID. They have been very instrumental, not only in coordinating meetings with suppliers and government agencies but helping us understand Uganda and how things work and getting us to the right people. This would have taken us ten times as long to get to where we are right now, so expediting our business development tremendously would be a good way to summarize it in a few words.

PACEID has helped us widen our outreach by streamlining the process to help us get to where we need to be.

Lastly, a lot has been said about Uganda out there, what is your assessment of Uganda compared to before you visited?

Uganda is a beautiful country, people are happy, and we feel well-received here. We enjoy Uganda and are looking forward to more productive trips. Due to time, we did not get the chance to visit some of the amazing tourist destinations, but next time we shall make sure to do so.

The Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) led by Chairman Odrek Rwabwogo, on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, met a team from Bulemezi Heritage Coffee Cooperative Union, a farmers-owned cooperative Union in Uganda’s Greater Luwero, to discuss various important issues. 

One of the main topics of discussion during the meeting was market access. Bukenya Paul Michael, the Chairman of the cooperative union expressed interest in partnering with Uganda’s Balkan region trade representative Bratislav Stoiljkovic to explore new market opportunities for their coffee. By tapping into new markets, the cooperative hopes to increase its sales and revenue, ultimately boosting Uganda’s foreign earnings.

Another important issue raised was access to working capital. The cooperative union highlighted the challenges they face in securing financing for their operations and expressed their interest in working with UG EXIM to access the necessary funds. With adequate working capital, the cooperative can invest in its operations, improve its infrastructure, and ultimately increase its productivity and profitability. The ‘Coffee Culture’ continues to date in over 60% of the households in Luwero. Partnering with this cooperative union contributes to improving the livelihood of families and the entire community. The solution lies in leveraging community numbers to drive quality and access better markets for Uganda’s coffee. 

Additionally, Bukenya and team proposed a visit by the PACEID Chairman to the cooperative’s bulking center in Luwube-Luwero for a training session with farmers. The training session will focus on the importance of mindset shift towards cooperative farming, emphasizing the benefits of working together as a collective rather than operating as individuals. The cooperative, a first-of-its-kind start-up boasts of over 1300 farmers with the potential to make 4000 members. 

Richard Omagoro, the cooperative’s Secretary expressed gratitude to Rwabwogo and his team during the meeting stating that PACEID’s initiatives align with Bulemezi Heritage Coffee Cooperatives Union’s goal. “We are excited and working towards making this partnership a reality.”

By working together and implementing these strategies, the cooperative union can contribute to the growth of Uganda’s coffee industry and increase the country’s foreign earnings through exports.