KAMPALA – Africa Coffee Brands (ACB) is bridging the gap for Ugandan coffee exporters to tap into the lucrative Dutch market. Despite Uganda being one of Africa’s largest coffee exporters to Europe, few Ugandan coffee brands have a presence in the Netherlands, a significant coffee consumer.
ACB’s Founder and Managing Director, Juma Kiggundu, highlighted the opportunity, citing the Netherlands’ high per-capita coffee consumption of 8.4kg per year. He noted that Uganda’s coffee, renowned for its quality, is mostly exported as green coffee, with only 5% roasted locally. This presents a significant opportunity for Ugandan coffee dealers to expand their market share.
“…reason why I came up with the idea of bringing Ugandan coffee to the Netherlands.”
However, Kiggundu acknowledged the challenges faced by Ugandan coffee exporters, including:
- Persistent perception that coffee roasted at origin is less fresh than those roasted in the consuming market
Fear of fierce competition from large roasters and established brands
Consumers’ unawareness of coffee brands roasted at origin
High logistics costs and difficulty in just-in-time delivery
To overcome these bottlenecks, ACB will import Ugandan coffee beans, roast them to meet European standards, and promote them through various channels, including:
- Africa-Europe Coffee Brands Expo: A platform for African coffee roasters to expose their products to European consumers and promote brand awareness
A Coffee Retail Store in Amsterdam: Scheduled to open in February 2025, followed by two more stores in Berlin in 2026 and 2028
A web-shop/Online Store: Offering a range of African coffee brands and products, initially serving customers in the Netherlands.
“Africa Coffee Brands will help Ugandan coffee brands to gain visibility and also to overcome the problem of brand awareness,” he said.
Ms. Margret Kafeero, Head of Public Diplomacy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized the importance of packaging and branding, stating that “Europeans eat with their eyes first.” She encouraged Ugandan coffee dealers to invest in attractive packaging and branding to compete in the European market.
Nangoli Martin, Executive Director of Kikobero Coffee, expressed optimism that this initiative will help Ugandan coffee dealers expand their brands in the European market and increase earnings. He praised ACB’s efforts to promote Ugandan coffee and create new opportunities for local exporters.
By mandelapmldaily@gmail.com/+256789673513
