Rwanda has selected 25 of its best coffees for an international auction as it seeks to raise the value of its exports and strengthen the country’s position in the global specialty coffee market.
The coffees were recognised Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at an awards ceremony in Kigali following the third edition of the Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition organised by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).
Claude Bizimana, National Agricultural Export Development Board
The 25 winning lots were selected from 320 samples submitted by cooperatives and coffee processing companies from across the country. They will be offered to international buyers through an online auction on Oct. 21.
Coffee from the Southern Province dominated the competition’s two main categories.
K-Organics coffee from Huye District won the Anaerobic Natural category with 90.74 points, retaining the title it won in 2025. Great Coffee Farmers Ltd’s Cyeza Coffee Washing Station in Muhanga District took first place in the Fully Washed category with 89.74 points.
The competition is designed to identify exceptional coffees and give producers access to buyers in the specialty market, where high-quality lots can attract significantly higher prices.
K-Organics’ winning coffee sold for $88 per kilogram at last year’s auction, compared with $71.80 per kilogram for the winner of the first competition in 2024.
Evariste Karangwa, owner of K-Organics, said maintaining quality required attention from the farm through to processing.
He said the company harvests only fully ripe coffee cherries and uses production practices intended to protect the environment.
“Harvesting too early or too late affects the coffee’s quality and taste,” Karangwa said.
Esther Uwimana of Cyeza Coffee Washing Station said the station works with farmers to improve production practices, including the use of fertilisers and timely delivery of ripe cherries. The station then carefully washes and processes the coffee to maintain its quality.
NAEB said 147 of the 320 entries passed the first assessment by a national panel of professional coffee cuppers. Fifty samples then advanced to an international judging stage, from which the final 25 winners were selected.
Orest Baragahorana, chairman of the Coffee Exporters and Processors Association of Rwanda, said the competition had helped raise the profile of Rwandan coffee abroad and connect producers and exporters with international buyers.
Agriculture and Animal Resources Minister Telesphore Ndabamenye said coffee remained important to Rwanda’s economy and the livelihoods of farmers. He called for closer cooperation across the coffee value chain to improve quality and increase the value earned from exports.
NAEB Director General Claude Bizimana said the competition was intended to promote Rwandan coffee internationally, expand markets, raise prices and increase export earnings.
The 25 winning coffees will go on sale at the Oct. 21 online auction, giving producers an opportunity to turn recognition for quality into higher returns.
