Rwanda is leveraging its participation in the World of Coffee San Diego exhibition in California, United States, to deepen market access and elevate the global profile of its specialty coffee.
The three-day global event has brought together industry players from across the coffee value chain, offering Rwanda a strategic platform to showcase its high-quality beans and attract new buyers and investors.
The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) confirmed that its delegation, led by Director General Claude Bizimana, is attending the exhibition alongside local coffee exporters.
Beyond exhibition, Rwanda is using the platform to forge strategic partnerships. On the sidelines, Bizimana held talks with Elaine Yu, President of Layn Natural Ingredients, focusing on innovation and plant-based solutions that could add value to Rwanda’s coffee sector.
In a significant development, NAEB signed cooperation agreements with both the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Inter-African Coffee Organisation (IACO), reinforcing Rwanda’s commitment to strengthening Africa’s coffee industry.
The agreements will support joint initiatives including enhanced data collection and analysis, helping farmers and exporters meet international market standards, advancing research on climate-resilient coffee, and strengthening capacity across the value chain.
Bizimana also held discussions with Miguel Zamora, focusing on how the ICO can further support farmer livelihoods and boost the resilience of Rwanda’s coffee economy.
Coffee remains one of Rwanda’s leading export crops and a key driver of foreign exchange earnings. NAEB data shows that Rwanda generated over Rwf 216 billion from exporting 23,860 tonnes of coffee in 2025, up from more than Rwf 129 billion earned from 17,142 tonnes exported in 2024.
Under the National Strategy for Transformation (NST2), Rwanda targets to scale up coffee exports to over 32,000 tonnes annually, with projected revenues exceeding $192 million by 2029, signaling sustained ambition to position its coffee among the world’s premium brands.
