By Mulengera ReportersAt the ongoing “Buy Uganda, Build Uganda (BUBU) Expo 2025” at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, a remarkable innovation stood out, Tropical Cane Juice, a naturally preserved sugarcane drink being proudly exhibited by a small family business linked to Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI).
Behind the brand is 67-year-old Ms. Theo Barbara Kitto of Kyambogo, Banda, in Kampala, one of UIRI’s beneficiaries who says her journey into value addition was inspired by a simple desire to improve her local product and uplift fellow women.
Speaking to Mulengera News, Kitto recalled how she heard about UIRI during the 2024 launch of the GROW project, held at the institute’s main premises in Namanve. The project had promised to empower women through practical training in sustainable enterprises. But as the rollout delayed, Kitto decided not to wait.
Together with a group of other seven women, she approached UIRI’s Nakawa branch directly, where they received three weeks of hands-on training in juice making, starting with mango and pineapple flavors. Impressed by the experience, the group requested an additional week to learn how to process sugarcane juice, the product Kitto was most passionate about.
Prior to this training, Kitto had been producing sugarcane juice on a small scale, though with little success in preservation.
“The juice would go bad very quickly. Even my son, who is a scientist, suggested preservatives, but it still wasn’t working,” she explained.
UIRI’s training changed everything. The group learned the right techniques of preservation, packaging and hygiene. Soon after, Kitto invested in a pressing machine from Katwe to kick-start formal production.
Although she’s still operating from UIRI premises in Nakawa, she has already placed an order for a second machine from China worth about USD 900, but will cost approximately UGX 5 million, including shipping expenses.
Her dream is to establish a full-fledged juice processing factory. But the machinery required is expensive (she cited industrial pressing and bottling equipment costing as much as UGX 200 million each) and appealed to government and development partners for support.
“This is not just about making juice, but creating jobs for young Ugandans, especially women,” she said.
Kitto urged more women to approach UIRI with their business ideas or skills gaps. She confirmed that her group signed a memorandum of understanding with the institute and are regularly invited to participate in events like the Kololo expo.
At their exhibition stall, we also spoke to her daughter, Mrs. Jackyline Wasswa, who described her mother as a determined and forward-thinking woman, saying she always has ideas, and even when funding is tight, she tries and tries again. “She’s a go-getter,” she said.
Wasswa, noted that Tropical Cane Juice is completely natural (no added sugar, no water).
“That’s what makes it healthy. And our customers love that. We always ask for feedback and use it to improve,” she added.
Though they occasionally hire help during peak demand, the business remains family-run for now, until they can acquire the necessary machines to scale.
Kitto’s story is just one among hundreds emerging from UIRI’s training and incubation centers, and the institute continues to equip Ugandans (including university interns) with practical industrial skills in areas like food processing, cosmetics, ceramics, herbal products and more.
UIRI has become a hive of innovation, attracting youth, women and students seeking to build viable products and businesses from their ideas.
At the BUBU Expo in Kololo, the impact of UIRI’s incubation work was clearly visible, with many of its incubatees showcased high-quality, locally-made products, a direct result of the mentorship, skills development and product certification support they’ve received.
As Uganda pushes for local content development under the BUBU policy, UIRI’s approach offers a model that combines technical training with hands-on business development. And as Kitto’s journey shows, even long-standing traditional products can find a place in modern value chains, with the right support.
More inspiring UIRI incubatee stories to come from Kololo in our subsequent reporting. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
