Omwani Coffee | East Africa

About Omwani Coffee

How Omwani Began

Omwani coffee is a specialty green coffee sourcing partner, working across East Africa to connect roasters to farmers and producers. Founded by university pals James Wilkinson and Dale Goulding back in 2018, Omwani coffee humbly began their journey as most would... at a washing station, deep in the Rwenzori mountains of Western Uganda.

The Early Story

Back in the early 2010s, two friends, Johnny Rowland and James (the same James!) moved to the Rwenzori mountains of Uganda. They found work at a local development centre, which often sent them out to support smallholder farms. This exposed the duo to the various challenges that producers in this region often faced when growing and selling their product.

Together, they built the foundations of Agri Evolve (which Johnny is still the Managing Director of today). James returned to the UK, but still wanted to contribute to the improvement of the coffee supply chain. This of course, led to the creation of Omwani. The partnership between Agri-Evolve and Omwani continues to this day.

Omwani’s Foundational Pillars

As part of its founding, Omwani have laid four foundational pillars to ground their trade ethos:

1. Transparency

"We pride ourselves on transparent trade: everything we share we do so openly and honestly, and we look for similar values in our partners."

2. Fairness

"We want to ensure equality and integrity across the entirety of the supply chain we work in. Putting consideration into every action we take, and learning from our mistakes."

3. Quality

"We only source the highest quality coffee possible. We measure quality on taste, profile, economic impact and the story of the origin."

4. Honesty

"When we say something, it needs to be the truth: no smoke and mirrors or corporate half-truths, and when something isn't clear, we explain it."

At the time of writing, Omwani currently support smallholder farmers in 6 countries: Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda and are always looking to find more networks outside of these locations to represent.

Their partners at origin are:

AGRI EVOLVE, UGANDA

Find out more about Omwani's partnership with Agri-Evolve here

RWAMATAMU, RWANDA

Find out more about Omwani's partnership with Rwamatamu here

New to Rwandan coffee? Read our Rwanda origin guide.

MIGOTI, BURUNDI

Find out more about Omwani's partnership with Migoti here

LOT 20, KENYA

Find out more about Omwani's partnership with Lot 20 here

SATEMWA, MALAWI

Find out more about Omwani's partnership with Satemwa here

Our Journey with Omwani

Most recently, Omwani have helped us to facilitate a number of incredibly exciting coffees from all over East Africa.

Our most highly anticipated masterpieces of the year comes from Basha Bekele, which was an absolute gem to find. Omwani helped us locate and import this coffee from the young superstar, shortly before he ended up winning the Cup of Excellence in Ethiopia!

We're thrilled to be extending our relationship into 2025, with more amazing coffees coming to us from Rwamatamu, Migoti and a stunning SL28 from Nyabirongo.

Omwani's coffee has become a seasonal feature in our coffee offerings. In addition to this, Omwani has also been instrumental in much of our understanding of regulations like EUDR via their educational section of their website. We have found it so useful in fact, that we included it in our 'best free coffee tools' blog in our blog section.

If you’re interested in exploring more distinctive coffee varieties, you may also enjoy our guide to Pink Bourbon coffee.

If you're interested in working with us on a wholesale basis, or to feature some of Omwani's coffees – follow this link and drop us a message!

FAQ – Omwani Coffee & East African Partnerships

Who are Omwani Coffee?

Omwani Coffee is a green speciality coffee sourcing partner founded in 2018 by James Wilkinson and Dale Goulding. They work across East Africa to connect roasters with farmers and producers.

How did Omwani originate?

Its roots lie in early 2010s development work in the Rwenzori mountains, where James and Johnny Rowland helped build Agri Evolve. This partnership continues to shape Omwani’s connection to producers today.

What are Omwani’s core pillars?

Omwani is built on four pillars: Transparency, Fairness, Quality, and Honesty — guiding all sourcing and trade practices across East Africa.

Which countries does Omwani work in?

They currently support smallholder farmers in Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi and Rwanda, while seeking partnerships in additional regions.

Who are Omwani’s key partners at origin?

Agri Evolve (Uganda), Rwamatamu (Rwanda), Migoti (Burundi), Lot 20 (Kenya), and Satemwa (Malawi) — each representing a unique terroir and producer community.

How has Omwani supported Harmony Coffee?

Omwani has helped us source outstanding East African coffees, including our masterpiece lot from Basha Bekele, and has been instrumental in our understanding of regulations like EUDR through their educational resources.

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