Saving gorillas - ONE SIP AT A TIME

Coffee brings people together, as Sarah Rodi found out when she spoke to Moneyrow Beans founder Vicky Weddell and Ugandan vet Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka

- Sarah Rodi

“It was while I was living in Dubai that I really got into my coffee, working at Raw Coffee Company,” says Vicky Weddell. “So when we moved back to Holyport last summer, I decided to start a coffee business from my garden shed in Moneyrow Green.

“I began roasting small batches of coffee and serving fresh coffee at local events. I am a member of the Speciality Coffee Association and play an active role in coffee competitions as an organiser and a judge. I want to bring people together through coffee – from the farming communities to the drinkers.”

And one way Vicky is doing this is through becoming the first UK Distributor for Gorilla Conservation Coffee, a social enterprise that supports coffee farmers in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda as part of the Conservation Through Public Health programme.

So how did it all come about? Vicky met Melanie Perry from Poppy Perry Media a little over a year ago at the Business Girls Network in Maidenhead, where she was showcasing her love and knowledge of coffee.

Despite not being a coffee drinker, Melanie and Vicky hit it off and Melanie had to concede that Vicky did indeed make a fantastic cup of coffee!

Fast forward a few months to the Media Hub in Cookham in November 2019, when Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, who was the first Wildlife Veterinary Officer of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, gave a fascinating talk on her work, Conservation Through Public Health, a non-profit award-winning NGO, and the plight of mountain gorillas.

She also showcased ‘Gorilla Conservation Coffee’ – premium Ugandan coffee with the aim of ‘saving gorillas one sip at a time’.