Latitude: Bean-to-bar chocolate from Uganda

Laatst bijgewerkt op: 17/06/2026

In western Uganda, American Jeff Steinberg is making a difference for local cacao farmers. At its own factory, Latitude Craft Chocolate processes the cacao itself into exceptionally beautiful bars. Opmeer Reports covered this for koffieTcacao 42 a visit to Latitude in the Bundibugyo region.

Uganda is an emerging single-origin supplier in the global cocoa market. With the help of the Rabobank Foundation, Jeff Steinberg began purchasing cocoa in western Uganda and founded, six years ago, Latitude Craft Chocolate six years ago. Until 2016, , Jeff advised organizations and companies in the social sector on how to collaborate more effectively with local farmers. He also worked extensively with larger coffee, cocoa, and cotton companies.

“As a consultant, you sometimes get frustrated because you make recommendations and can never be sure if anyone is going to follow through on them,” Jeff said. “Six years ago, I reached a point where I thought: I can do this better than all of you now.” He invested in buying cocoa in western Uganda. The Rabo Foundation joined him in this venture and provided him with the capital he needed to pay the cocoa farmers directly.

Training, guidance, and fair prices for farmers

In his first year, Jeff Steinberg bought cacao from 100 farmers. Thanks to the working capital he borrowed, he was able to expand that number to 2,500 certified organic farmers. This year, Jeff expects to buy cacao from 5,000 farmers. To reach all these farmers and teach them how to improve their cacao harvests, Latitude works with so-called “lead” farmers, who pass on their knowledge to others.

Asaba Teopista, 62, is one of the female farmers who supplies Latitude. “When I heard in 2016 that Latitude was coming to buy cocoa, I reached out to them. I found out that they pay a good price and don’t cheat us.” Fellow farmer Annet Medius tells a similar story: “Latitude has a good scale. When they weigh our cacao, we end up with much more than we do with the competition.”

They are both pleased with the training they are receiving to better maintain their plantation and learn the best harvesting methods. Thanks in part to pruning instructions and tips on keeping the plantation clean, they’re ultimately harvesting more cacao. Whereas she used to have to ferment and dry the beans herself, Latitude now does that for her. Annet: “When I used to dry the cacao myself, it was often stolen. It also saves me a lot of time that Latitude handles the processing.”

Latitude processes the cocoa into chocolate itself

What’s unique is that Latitude processes some of the cacao locally into chocolate. Since 2021, 95% of the 10–15 metric tons of harvested cacao has gone to customers in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, Kenya, and Japan. The remaining 5% is processed into chocolate bars and bonbons in Kampala.

In the future, Jeff wants to process 50% of the cocoa harvested in Uganda. Like many chocolate makers in the bean-to-bar world, Jeff and his team have taught themselves everything they know, with the help of YouTube, small-scale chocolate-producing customers, and a lot of patience.

Read the full travel report by Opmeer Reports in koffieTcacao 42. You can buy the single-origin chocolate bars at the following locations:

The Chocolate Shop
Limoenhof 1, 2564 KV The Hague

Gula Delicatessen
Grote Spui 5a, 3811 GA Amersfoort

Cacao & Spice
Dollebegijnensteeg 5a, 1012 HD Amsterdam

Evermore Tea – Coffee – Chocolate
Coolhaven 158a, 3024 AM Rotterdam