By Bahati Bertin Matonde, founder of Tabar Café
Canada is our destination. Uganda, on the other hand, is our root. That is where our Kivu beans are roasted by hand, in small batches, before crossing the Atlantic to reach the cups of Montreal.
Why Uganda and not Canada? For several reasons. First, it is the country where I lived for more than a decade — Kyaka II Settlement, one of the largest refugee camps in the world, where I founded Self-made Africans Ltd. It is also where our partner roasters are based, sharing our vision of fair trade and our standards on quality.
Second, roasting at origin — that is, in the bean's home country or close to it — lets producers sell part of their harvest at higher added value, rather than exporting green coffee that gets transformed elsewhere. It is an ethical, economic and ecological choice.
Our roasting is artisanal: small quantities, manual control of the temperature curve, attention to each aromatic profile. No industrial roasting, no uniformity. Each batch is unique and carries the roaster's signature.
Once roasted, the coffee is packed in resealable bags, hand-labelled, and shipped to Montreal. The delay between roasting and sale in Canada is about 10 days — short enough to preserve the aromatics, long enough to let the coffee "breathe" naturally.
One exception: our Nespresso-compatible capsules, which are assembled and packaged in Canada from beans roasted in Uganda. A deliberate trade-off to offer a convenient format without compromising on quality.
