Summary
In less than a year, the Ugandan Coffee Trade
Federation installed an electronic email system and launched a sophisticated marketing
initiative that took advantage of video-conferencing technology and its o wn web site.
Goal
To promote the export of Ugandan coffee.
The Process
The federation began using information technology to raise the profits of its association
in 1995 with an electronic mail system. This cost-effective method of reaching clients
soon warranted the implementation of a larger marketing tool. By November the same year,
the federation had decided to expand to full Internet access.
Once the basic technology was in place, the federation developed its own web page. A large
number of visitors to the site and numerous e-mail inquiries indicated that the home page
generated a high level of interest for the products advertised.
The Next Step
As the federation's knowledge of the capabilities of the Internet expanded through
learning-by-doing, new ideas of how to use the Internet began to take shape. In 1996, the
federation undertook an ambitious initiative; it sponsored an Internet coffee t asting in
Washington, DC, and Kampala, Uganda, using video-conferencing. Digital cameras were used
to project live images of coffee drinkers savoring hot cups of Uganda's finest coffees.
In addition to creating powerful marketing tools, the Ugandan Coffee Trade Federation uses
the Internet for research.
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