A Good African Story by Andrew Rugasira: book review

A Good African Story: How a Small Company Built a Global Coffee Brand (2014) is about the dream, establishment, challenges, and success of Africa’s first coffee business to put its product on the international market – not just the coffee beans, but the packaged roasted and ground coffee.

In establishing the Good African Coffee company founded in 2003, Andrew Rugasira expounds his ‘Africa needs trade not aid’ philosophy to help thousand of coffee farmers to earn a decent living, and end their reliance on foreign aid.

This is not just a business story; it is a personal story of the failures, challenges, stress, strategic changes, lessons learned, and ultimate success that Rugasira, a Ugandan, faced in his efforts to gain company quality, recognition, and international sales in a highly competitive supermarket industry.

In addition, Rugasira outlines his argument for sustainable trade, small revolution by small revolution. This is a positive story – a good story – about an African business on the international trade stage, even though there were heartbreaking stresses and near-collapse experiences. Rugasira not only believed in the ideal, but he also believed in the grassroots movement to improve and innovate to consistently produce and deliver quality African coffee from the field to the supermarket.

This is an inspiring book, no matter what the entrepreneurial dream readers may have. Readers are sure to find examples of the challenges and pitfalls to address and overcome in order to establish and create a company with, hopefully, their own level of success.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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