Rwanda Teams Up with China’s Cotti Coffee to Boost Coffee Exports and Revive Sector
Rwanda is taking bold steps to revive its struggling coffee industry by forging a strategic partnership with China’s fast-growing coffee chain, Cotti Coffee International. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was officially signed on June 6 between Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Cotti Coffee, marking a significant milestone in the country’s efforts to reassert itself in the global coffee market.
As part of the agreement, both parties will collaborate to establish a Sino-Rwandan International Coffee Demonstration Park in Kigali. The facility will serve as a comprehensive hub for coffee innovation, featuring a smart farming demonstration zone, a processing center, and an international coffee trading space. This initiative is expected to enhance Rwanda’s coffee value chain through technology transfer, skills development, and improved global branding.
In a move to further promote Rwandan coffee culture, Cotti Coffee has also committed to co-organizing the Global Rwanda Coffee Cultural Festival annually, bringing together producers, roasters, and coffee lovers from around the world to celebrate and elevate the country’s coffee heritage.
The partnership comes at a time when Rwanda’s coffee industry has been grappling with declining output and exports. According to the National Agriculture Export Development Board (NAEB), coffee production dropped from 20,459 tons in 2019/2020 to 17,038 tons in 2023/2024, reflecting a 4.47% annual decrease. Export volumes also fell by an average of 4.39% each year over the same period, reaching 16,479 tons last year.
Cotti Coffee, founded in 2022, has quickly emerged as a dominant player in the global coffee landscape. The company currently operates more than 14,000 stores across 28 countries, making it a significant force in the international café market. Its expansion into Rwanda signals growing interest from Chinese investors in African specialty coffee and aligns with Beijing’s broader engagement in African agribusiness.
This agreement also supports Rwanda’s continental ambitions. At the 3rd G25 Coffee Summit in Dar es Salaam, African nations, including Rwanda, committed to increasing the continent’s share of global coffee production from 11% to 20% by 2030. The partnership with Cotti Coffee is viewed as a tangible step toward achieving that goal by attracting investment, fostering innovation, and promoting sustainable growth.
With this new alliance, Rwanda is not only seeking to recover lost ground in coffee exports but also aiming to reposition itself as a center of excellence in coffee production on the African continent and beyond.
