A Good African Story: How a Small Company Built a Global Coffee Brand

by Andrew Rugasira

Overview

Since it was founded in 2003, Good African Coffee has helped thousands of farmers earn a decent living, send their children to school and escape a spiral of debt and dependence. Africa has received over $1 trillion in aid over the last fifty years and yet despite these huge inflows, the continent remains mired in poverty, disease and systemic corruption.

In A Good African Story, as Andrew Rugasira recounts the very personal story of his company and the challenges that he has faced – and overcome – as an African entrepreneur, he provides a tantalising glimpse of what Africa could be, and argues that trade has achieved what years of aid have failed to deliver.

This is a book about Africa taking its destiny in its own hands, and dictating the terms of its future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781448104727
Publisher:	Random House
Publication date:	02/07/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	964,556
File size:	534 KB

About the Author

ANDREW RUGASIRA grew up in Uganda and went to the University of London for his undergraduate degree in Law and Economics. He later completed a masters degree in African Studies at the University of Oxford. In 2003, he founded Good African Coffee, the first African-owned coffee brand to be stocked in UK supermarkets and US retailers. He regularly speaks at leadership and business conferences, and is passionate about initiatives that lead to community transformation. In 2007, he was nominated as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He has won several awards, including the Legatum Pioneers of Prosperity award, and in 2010 was nominated for a Financial Times/ArcelorMittal Boldness in Business award. Andrew lives in Kampala with his wife Jacqueline and their children.

www.goodafrican.com
@andrewrugasira

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction xv

Part 1 Context

1 What's Wrong with Africa? 3

2 In Search of an African Capitalist Class 31

Part 2 The Good African Story

3 Logistics 59

4 Markets 83

5 Capital 111

Part 3 Lessons

6 Perseverance 137

7 The Good African Way 165

Conclusion 191

Notes 201

Selected Bibliography 213

Index 241

Editorial Reviews

04/14/2014
Entrepreneur Rugasira has, without a doubt, done great things for his native Uganda by working to help coffee farmers make a living wage and educate their children. Raised in war-torn region, in 2003 he decided to work with Ugandan coffee farmers to produce high-end coffee and distribute it to African and international markets. At that stage, Uganda was producing 200,000 tons of coffee annually, but only as raw beans that were shipped elsewhere for processing. Distraught over the state of the continent, Rugasira aimed to “create genuine and sustainable community transformation.” Spurred on by the mantra of “trade not aid,” he dedicated the next decade to launching Good African Coffee. The book covers the company’s expansion to the U.K. and the U.S., as well as discussing Africa’s poverty, instability, politics, and economics. Takeaways for readers include lessons on perseverance, financial literacy, and faith. Though intra-Africa trade accounts for less than 10% of total trade, companies like Rugasira’s are helping African entrepreneurs reduce chronic dependency on aid organizations and corrupt governments. Though the book is marred by dull writing, it is chock-full of good intentions. Agent: Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.). (July)

EBOOK COMMENTARY

04/14/2014
Entrepreneur Rugasira has, without a doubt, done great things for his native Uganda by working to help coffee farmers make a living wage and educate their children. Raised in war-torn region, in 2003 he decided to work with Ugandan coffee farmers to produce high-end coffee and distribute it to African and international markets. At that stage, Uganda was producing 200,000 tons of coffee annually, but only as raw beans that were shipped elsewhere for processing. Distraught over the state of the continent, Rugasira aimed to “create genuine and sustainable community transformation.” Spurred on by the mantra of “trade not aid,” he dedicated the next decade to launching Good African Coffee. The book covers the company’s expansion to the U.K. and the U.S., as well as discussing Africa’s poverty, instability, politics, and economics. Takeaways for readers include lessons on perseverance, financial literacy, and faith. Though intra-Africa trade accounts for less than 10% of total trade, companies like Rugasira’s are helping African entrepreneurs reduce chronic dependency on aid organizations and corrupt governments. Though the book is marred by dull writing, it is chock-full of good intentions. Agent: Felicity Bryan Associates (U.K.). (July)

Publishers Weekly

"It must feel good to wake up each morning knowing that you have radically changed someone's life for the better. Andrew Rugasira is such a guy . . . he has helped thousands of farmers to give themselves a steady income."  —Observer



"Rugasira and the generation of African businessmen he represents may yet provide the continent with the leadership it needs."  —Irish Times

From the Publisher