Nonda Coffee launches Uganda’s first single-origin coffee Café in Riyadh under US$148M investment project
The launch marks a key milestone in Uganda–Saudi Arabia trade ties and elevates Uganda’s coffee to global premium status.
SAUDI ARABIA — Nonda Coffee, a brand of Nonda Commodities Limited (Uganda), has launched Uganda’s first Single-Origin Coffee Café in Riyadh, marking a significant milestone in showcasing Uganda’s coffee on the global premium market.
The café’s inauguration is part of the US$148 million “Value-at-Source Coffee Project”, a bilateral investment between Uganda and Saudi Arabia designed to expand processing, roasting, and export operations.
The project aims to enhance value addition within Uganda’s coffee industry while strengthening trade relations between the two nations.
Under the initiative, the Luwero Coffee Park will be established in Uganda to handle processing, roasting, and packaging, while the Jazan Coffee Terminal in Saudi Arabia will serve as a hub for certification, distribution, and re-export across the Gulf region.
Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo hailed the launch as a landmark example of commercial and economic collaboration between the two nations.
She noted that the project aligns with Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the country’s industrialization agenda, emphasizing the shift from exporting raw coffee beans to exporting finished products with identity and value.
Alupo highlighted that Nonda Coffee embodies the principle of “shared prosperity,” bringing together Ugandan enterprise and Saudi investment to unlock new frontiers in trade, technology, and cultural exchange.
Representing the Saudi Ministry of Investment, Mohammed bin Abdulrazzaq Alohaly, Managing Director of Agriculture and Food Processing, reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the project.
He stated that the Value-at-Source Coffee Project aligns with Saudi Vision 2030, which seeks to diversify the economy, promote sustainable agribusiness, and strengthen value chains with African partners.
Alohaly described the collaboration as “a model of productive South–South cooperation,” expressing confidence that Uganda’s premium coffee will gain strong traction in Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf market.
The initiative is expected to create jobs in Uganda, increase export earnings, and integrate the value chain from farm to cup, while offering Saudi Arabia a foothold in sustainable agribusiness.
Uganda’s coffee exports have surged, reaching 7.43 million 60-kg bags between June 2024 and May 2025, a 22% rise in volume and 94% increase in value, generating US$2.09 billion, according to the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA).
Exports to Saudi Arabia alone were valued at US$3.46 million in 2024, reflecting Uganda’s growing diversification beyond traditional markets in Europe and Asia.
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