Uganda · United Kingdom · Denmark
From Uganda’s farming communities to buyer conversations in the UK and emerging connections in Denmark, our work starts with people. These moments tell the story of a shared ambition: helping African businesses turn their potential into information, relationships and opportunities they can act on.
Buyer conversations · United Kingdom
First-hand market visits and conversations with buyers, wholesalers and exhibitors.
Spitalfields Market · London
Listening to wholesale buyers and traders about their sourcing needs, the information they expect from suppliers and the practical requirements of the UK market.
Food industry expo · ExCeL London
Speaking with buyers, distributors and exhibitors at ExCeL London, collecting information about demand and what businesses need to prepare before approaching the market.
Market research · London
Gathering market information at ExCeL London and speaking with buyers about what they need from suppliers, as part of the research shaping Crossgates.
Fresh produce · London
Exploring the fresh produce on offer at Spitalfields and gathering first-hand insight into the products and requirements of the UK wholesale market.
Video · 12 seconds
A short view of the produce stalls during the market visit.
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A closer look at the produce and wholesale setting.
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Doris looking at fresh produce during the Spitalfields visit.
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Discuss your sourcing needsSupplier preparation · Uganda & the UK
Introducing STIV AI and the Trade Passport, and discussing preparation with the coffee community.
Our foundation · Uganda registration
For co-founders Doris Beth Atigo and Reidar Robdrup Rasmussen, this handshake marked the joy of Crossgates becoming officially registered in Uganda. It was a moment to celebrate a shared idea taking root, and the responsibility of building something useful for the businesses we want to serve.
Our commitment is to connect local enterprise with international opportunity through preparation, trust and relationships. Registration was an important beginning; the work continues in the conversations, visits and partnerships we are developing.
Uganda launch · FAMAOFA & the four-acre model
Crossgates’ Uganda launch brought together our team, Dr Hillary Emmanuel Musoke Kisanja and FAMAOFA around an ambition that begins on the farm: helping producers prepare for stronger market connections. The four-acre model encourages productive use of small landholdings; Crossgates focuses on the information a business needs when it is ready to approach a buyer.
The connection is practical. A farmer may have a promising crop, but a buyer also needs to understand its origin, available volumes, quality, production practices and supporting records. STIV AI and the Trade Passport help businesses organise that information and identify what still needs attention.
This is the journey we want to support with farming communities: from production and value addition to clearer evidence, more informed conversations and opportunities to reach local, regional and international markets.
Read the launch reportVideo · 18 seconds
The Crossgates team at the launch, in front of the STIV AI and Verified Trade Passport backdrop.
Coffee community · ExCeL London
Discussing onboarding, verification and preparation for international markets with coffee buyers and exhibitors at ExCeL London.
Ugandan diplomatic mission · London
Joining Uganda’s coffee community in London for International Coffee Day and conversations around coffee and international trade.
Preparing your business for a buyer conversation?
Discuss your businessInstitutions & international trade
Building relationships across Uganda, the United Kingdom and Denmark. Our aim is to connect the people working on production, investment and market access, and explore where practical collaboration can help businesses move forward.
UK–Africa Investment Summit · London
Representing Crossgates and promoting Uganda’s trade potential to an international audience, with conversations about bringing Ugandan businesses to global markets.
Photograph: © thepromotaAfrica
House of Lords luncheon · London
Attending a luncheon at the House of Lords by invitation, with the opportunity to meet Ugandan ministers and UK government officials and exchange perspectives on UK–Uganda relations.
UK–Africa engagement · Finance & enterprise
A moment from Doris’s engagement with Uganda’s financial leadership during the UK–Africa summit visit. For Crossgates, these encounters are an opportunity to bring the needs of growing enterprises into wider conversations about trade and economic opportunity.
Our ambition is to help businesses present clearer records of who they are, what they produce and what evidence supports their offer. Better preparation can make a conversation with a buyer or financier more useful; each institution still makes its own assessment and decisions.
UK–Africa summit · Building connections
Alongside the summit programme, Doris met fellow participants and exchanged perspectives on Uganda’s place in international trade. Personal introductions create space to listen, ask questions and discover where interests may overlap.
For Crossgates, the next step is to turn promising introductions into focused follow-up: understanding the needs of businesses, identifying relevant expertise and exploring opportunities for collaboration.
International relations · United Kingdom
Meeting fellow participants in London created another opportunity to share the purpose behind Crossgates: helping businesses become easier to understand and assess before a commercial conversation begins.
These connections complement our visits to UK markets and exhibitions. Listening to what buyers need helps shape how we support suppliers at home, from product information and traceability to the records that explain a business’s capacity.
London · Investment & opportunity
Doris’s London engagement reflects Crossgates’ interest in the connections between investment, enterprise development and access to markets. We want more Ugandan businesses to be able to explain their strengths clearly and participate in conversations about growth.
The possibilities we are exploring include stronger introductions, better preparation for commercial opportunities and connections to people who understand the challenges of taking a business beyond its local market.
Tororo · Enterprise & value addition
This encounter forms part of Doris’s outreach around the potential of Tororo’s businesses and producers. Crossgates is interested in how local enterprise, value addition and better access to market information can work together.
We see possibilities in helping businesses describe their products and capacity, organise their supporting records and prepare for introductions to relevant buyers. These are areas for further discussion and development as relationships grow.
International relations · Denmark
Doris met business contacts in Denmark as part of Crossgates’ search for potential partnerships. The visit opened space for further discussions about how international knowledge, relationships and commercial experience could support our work with African enterprises.
We are exploring where collaboration could be useful, including business preparation, value addition and connections to new markets. These discussions are developing, and we look forward to identifying shared priorities and practical next steps.
Together with our UK engagement and Uganda foundation, Denmark represents another avenue for building relationships that can help local ambition reach a wider audience.
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Start a partnership conversationPress & interviews
Press coverage of the Uganda launch and conversations with the media.
New Vision · Launch coverage
Joseph Makumbi reports on the STIV AI launch in Lweza and Crossgates Connect’s approach to helping businesses prepare their trade information for market access.
The report describes the launch by Dr Hillary Emmanuel Musoke Kisanja and includes comments from founder Doris Beth Atigo.
Read the original articleVideo · 22 seconds
Doris Beth Atigo speaking to journalists in a short interview excerpt recorded around the Uganda launch.
United Kingdom
Doris Beth Atigo in conversation with fellow participants during her UK engagements.
Explore further
Read more about the launch, market visits and the ideas behind Crossgates.
Doris on the launch coverageCrossgates Connect on LinkedIn