Kampala: HatHats Coffee Company Uganda Limited launched the HatHats Hospitality and Barista Academy at era92 grounds in Kampala on Monday 5 October 2026. The guest of honour was H.E. Lisa Chesney MBE, British High Commissioner to Uganda.
Uganda grows some of the finest coffee in the world, yet only around 5% of it is drunk at home. HatHats Uganda has been set up to change that, and to make sure the jobs and the prosperity that come with a coffee culture stay in Uganda.
The Academy gives young people from Kampala’s communities the barista and hospitality skills needed to serve Uganda’s fast growing tourism industry, and a recognised certificate to show for it.
More than 20 young people make up the Academy’s first cohort who have been trained by expert UK Baristas. Ahead of the launch they have completed an intensive training programme delivered by a team of baristas who travelled from HatHats in the UK. Each graduate receives a certificate recognising their skills.
The Academy has been developed by HatHats Coffee Uganda Limited and the HatHats Foundation in partnership with era92 Group, with the support of the British High Commission and the British Chamber of Commerce Uganda.
The Academy is the education strand of HatHats Uganda’s work, which rests on three pillars:
Education. Dispelling the myths around coffee and teaching the skills to make and serve it well.
Innovation. Using technology proven in other markets, infusing new flavours and finding new ways to get coffee to customers.
Telling the story. Working with Uganda’s expanding tourism industry so visitors discover Ugandan coffee where it is grown.
HatHats already runs coffee shops originating in Kent in the UK. In Uganda it plans to open outlets across the country, alongside coffee experiences designed for tourists. Graduates of the Academy who will be the people who run the shops hence creating employment for these young baristas.
Louis Hurst, founder of HatHats Coffee Company in the UK and co-founder of HatHats Coffee Company Uganda Limited, said:
“I have been coming to Uganda for more than fifteen years, and every visit I’m struck by the same thing. This country grows wonderful coffee, then drinks almost none of it. We want young Ugandans to be the ones making it, serving it and telling its story to the visitors who are arriving in growing numbers as well as in their own communities.
“Our Foundation has always worked on one simple idea, a hand up and not a handout. The Academy is exactly that. Real skills, a real certificate and a route into an industry that is going places. Our baristas came from Kent to train this first group, and honestly, I think they learned as much as they taught.
“Monday is the start. We will open coffee experiences for tourists, outlets across Uganda and new ways of serving coffee. Every one of those needs people, and we want them to be graduates of this Academy.”
H.E. Lisa Chesney MBE, British High Commissioner to Uganda, said:
“I first met HatHats through the British Chamber of Commerce Uganda and it has been a pleasure following their journey so far. The HatHats Barista and Hospitality Training Academy is a wonderful example of UK-Uganda partnership in action, investing in young people, creating opportunities, and helping unlock the full potential of Uganda’s world-class coffee sector. By equipping young Ugandans with practical hospitality and barista skills, this academy is opening doors to employment, entrepreneurship and future leadership.”