On Farm Processing at Kahangi Estate

Kahangi Estate processes as much of the organically managed agricultural production of the estate as possible, as there are many benefits to the communities and to the environment by processing the products on farm.

  •  The creation of rural jobs helps reduce the migration of people to the urban areas. Processing on farm adds value to the crops and helps wealth creation in rural areas.
  • The technology used in processing creates a knowledge transfer to the rural communities which can lead to the formation of secondary industries.
  • From an environmentally sustainable perspective the processing of products on farm makes large reductions in environmental impacts. The bulky raw materials are not transported long distances for processing and this reduces fuel costs and carbon emissions – the carbon footprint.
  • The waste produced from processing can be recycled back into the farmland.
  • This eliminates the need to import fertility materials into the farm, thus reducing the fuel costs and emissions of transportation and environmental impacts of collecting inputs.
The farm has 5 oil presses which have been customized to suit the different seeds

Fixed Oil Processing
Fixed oils are expelled in high quality screw presses. These machines are powered by a generator, using a combination of normal diesel mixed with biodiesel produced on the farm. The filtering, blending and packaging is all conducted at the Estate and the equipment used for this are solar powered. All the natural fixed oils are processed to the highest standard. Inspections of the products have been made by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards and the Natural Chemotherapeutic Research Laboratory (Ministry of Health).

Coffee Processing
The Estate has its own central pulpery. The coffee is harvested and wet processed the same day. Recycled water is used for sorting, pulping  and transportation of the coffee. Clean water is used for fermentation and mucilage removal and this water is subsequently recycled. All crop waste is recycled back to the crops.

The coffee pickers remove insect damaged beans and any parts of coffee cherry skins remaining

The coffee is sun dried on drying trays and handpicked. The hulling of the coffee is conducted using solar power, roasting is conducted using solar power and gas. The farm is currently attempting to develop its own bio gas unit to reduce the reliance on external inputs. Packaging is conducted at the farm and even the labels are produced at the farm for all products. The Arabica Coffee is roasted as ordered, to keep it at its freshest.

Essential Oil Production
The essential oils are processed using the indirect heating method and are distilled in a stainless steel vat.

The fuel wood for the still is obtained from the regular pruning of shade trees in the coffee and tea fields, as part of our Agro Forestry Production. The ash from the fire is then stored and applied on crops at the start of the rainy season. The plant waste remaining after oil extraction is recycled back on the fields.

Distillation of Essential Oils
The leaves of the lemon grass have been placed in the the still with some water, and the still is heated and presure is developed. The steam then penetrates the leaves and collects the oil. The oil and water are separated as the steam proceeds through the condensor and the oil is then tapped off.

Green Tea
The leaf for the organically managed green tea is handpicked from selected fields in the morning. Processing of the green tea is conducted in the afternoon. Packaging is conducted after cup tasting the following morning.

Hand Packing Soaps. All Kahangi Estate products are packaged and labelled on the Farm