Our Story

ENGINEERS, UGANDA, and 46 ACRES

In 1999, a group of Pittsburgh-based agriculturalists and engineers traveled to Uganda for the first time. After deeply connecting with the local people and feeling the weight of their poverty, these men and women formed a non-profit organization called Christian East-African Economic Development (CEED) and developed 46 acres of land for the local Ugandans. On these grounds, the locals were empowered to start various economic development projects including coffee, maize, rice, peanut and soybean farms. 

Since 1999, these farms have profoundly and holistically changed the lives of 38 individuals, each whose full-time work on these grounds enables sufficient income to provide for their daily and family needs.

ARTISAN COFFEE and AGRICULTURAL EMPOWERMENT

Fast forward to 2017 when Giving Grounds founder, Kim Garrett, had the opportunity to work on a consulting project for CEED. Through this project, Kim observed how profoundly CEED's agricultural projects have sustainably empowered whole communities and determined that it only made sense to give more grounds.

Inspired by CEED’s farms in Uganda, Kim formed Giving Grounds Coffee and adopted their Ugandan Gold coffee into the new family of products.

In addition to Ugandan Gold coffee, Giving Grounds sources specialty Rainforest Alliance Certified and Direct Trade coffees, while giving back to provide farm-ready plots of land to Ugandans. One bag of Giving Grounds Coffee funds approximately 50 sq feet of land, crops, and training that will economically empower impoverished Ugandans and ultimately create thriving communities.