Addis Ababa – Qahwa World × Buna Kurs
Day One of the 22nd African Fine Coffees Conference & Exhibition (AFCC&E) concluded in Addis Ababa with sustainability firmly positioned as the cornerstone of this year’s continental coffee dialogue. Following the morning’s high-level opening ceremony, the conference program transitioned into the 7th AFCA Sustainability Day, delivered in partnership with the Rainforest Alliance under the theme “Sustainability in Every Cup: Brewing a Regenerative Future, Today.”
At the center of the day’s agenda was the presentation and launch of the Rainforest Alliance Regenerative Agriculture Standard (RAS), a new certification framework designed to move beyond compliance toward ecosystem restoration and long-term farmer resilience across tropical landscapes.
Across the venue, the exhibition hall remained active throughout the day, with strong foot traffic from producers, exporters, buyers, service providers, and development partners. Exhibitors noted a visibly expanded floor layout and higher engagement compared to previous editions, reflecting both the growing scale of the event and renewed market interest in African coffee origins.
The Sustainability Day program highlighted how regenerative agriculture is being applied in practice across East Africa, with experiences shared from Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, including MSuLLi, Mountain Harvest, Moplaco Farm, and sector partners working at farm, landscape, and market levels. A dedicated youth testimony segment reinforced a growing generational consensus: sustainability is no longer an add-on, but a prerequisite for remaining competitive in the global coffee sector.
Afternoon sessions shifted the discussion to the value of sustainability standards within the global supply chain, examining how certification, traceability, and transparency are increasingly shaping trade relationships. Panels featuring exporters, producers, and international buyers addressed the commercial realities of sustainability, with participation from Midrock Investments Group, Touton, ECOM, AMG Coffee Export, Preferred by Nature, and regional producer representatives.
Beyond the conference hall, B2B cupping sessions continued alongside networking activities, offering international buyers early exposure to coffees from across Africa while reinforcing the link between quality, sustainability, and market access.
Day One concluded with an invitation-only policy and networking reception, followed by the Opening Cocktail at the AICC Amphitheater, marking the informal start of a week expected to shape Africa’s coffee sustainability agenda for years to come.
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