Rwanda coffee achieves new record prices in specialty auction 

RWANDA – Rwanda’s coffee industry has set a new benchmark with the successful sale of 18 top coffees from the inaugural Best of Rwanda 2024 Specialty Coffee Competition.  

The coffees were sold through an online auction, fetching unprecedented prices, with the standout lot from NOVA Coffee Ltd, located in Gicumbi District, Northern Province, selling for an impressive Rwf97,000 (US$71.8) per kilogram.  

This price is fourteen times higher than the average market price for other coffees. 

The competition, organized by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), aimed to showcase Rwanda’s finest specialty coffees.  

Out of 297 entries, 18 coffees were selected based on their distinctive taste profiles through a rigorous three-stage sensory evaluation conducted by both national and international jurors. 

Claude Bizimana, CEO of NAEB, expressed gratitude to international buyers, stating, “Each bid is not only a recognition of the best Rwandan coffee but also an investment in the future of our coffee sector. Today’s achievement is a reminder of the potential we hold when we win together as a community.” 

The Best of Rwanda Specialty Coffee Competition, an annual event, highlights the top-quality coffee produced by smallholder farmers, enhancing their visibility and access to international markets.  

Rwanda’s coffee industry has seen significant growth, contributing to the country’s agricultural export earnings.  

In the 2022/2023 financial year, Rwanda exported over 20,000 tonnes of coffee, generating US$115.9 million—a 53.39 percent increase in revenue compared to the previous fiscal year. 

The achievement comes as NAEB plans to distribute over 25 million coffee seedlings nationwide to replace aging coffee trees.  

The initiative is part of a broader effort to rejuvenate the country’s coffee plantations, with 26.8 percent of the current 42,229 hectares of coffee plantations considered too old.  

The rejuvenation project, dubbed Promoting Smallholder Agro-Export Competitiveness (PSAC), aims to restore 1,000 hectares of coffee plantations as part of an ongoing effort to replace 3,000 hectares of ageing coffee trees across 14 districts. 

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE