Meridah Nandudu empowers Ugandan women coffee farmers through ownership, fair trade access, and sustainable income.
Uganda is Africa’s second-largest coffee producer, exporting over six million bags between September 2023 and August 2024 and earning about $1.3 billion. Yet, for decades, the women who did most of the work – planting, weeding, harvesting, and processing – rarely saw the money. Men traditionally handled the selling, controlled the income, and decided how it was spent. But that is where Meridah Nandudu comes in.
Nandudu grew up in Sironko District near the Kenya border, where coffee farming was a family affair. Her mother worked tirelessly in the fields, but her father decided when and where to sell the beans.
“Our dad would come and just pick it, and then he goes and sells,” she once recalled.
That pattern left women unable to ask where the money went or how much was made. For many families, this imbalance created economic inequalities and triggered domestic tensions during harvest seasons when money changed hands.
Determined to change that dynamic, Nandudu pursued a degree in social sciences and later studied project management. In 2018, after years of struggling to find formal employment, she returned home and founded Bayaaya Specialty Coffee – a name derived from her local Gishu language meaning “brotherhood” or “sisterhood.”
Her mission was to build a “coffee sisterhood” that gave women financial control over the fruits of their labour.
Bayaaya began with just a few women farmers who believed in her idea. Nandudu’s method was simple but groundbreaking. She paid women a slightly higher price per kilogram for their coffee cherries than men typically received.
This incentive encouraged men, who had long monopolised sales, to allow their wives to bring the coffee to market. As women began selling directly, they also began earning directly. Within a few years, the model expanded rapidly.
As of 2025, more than 600 women had registered with Bayaaya, making up about 75 per cent of its farmer base in Uganda’s eastern highlands.
The company operates differently from the traditional, male-dominated cooperatives that dominate Uganda’s coffee trade. Instead of passing through layers of middlemen, women deliver their coffee directly to Bayaaya’s collection centres, where they receive prompt payments and occasional seasonal bonuses. This transparency has strengthened trust and accountability while ensuring that women can access the money they earn.
Alongside fair trade buying, Bayaaya introduced cooperative savings and loan schemes so that women could pool funds, access small loans, and invest in household needs, farm inputs, and education. As incomes grew, women began paying school fees, improving food security, and gaining decision-making power at home.
The impact has been both economic and social. Women now report improved household welfare, better access to healthcare, and reduced domestic conflict.
Beyond empowerment, Bayaaya has strengthened Uganda’s coffee reputation. The company emphasises sustainable farming, good agricultural practices, and high-quality processing that meet export standards.
It also participates in national programs like the Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II), which helps local producers improve quality and market competitiveness. Meridah’s vision extends to roasting and exporting directly, allowing more value to stay within the community rather than being captured by foreign buyers.
