Uganda has formalised a strategic coffee partnership with Turkish specialty retailer Kafe Kavil, the latest in a series of significant international agreements cementing the East African nation’s standing as a leading coffee exporter
A country that only twelve months ago overtook Ethiopia to become Africa’s largest coffee producer, Uganda is building a leading position on the global stage – and the pace of deal-making shows no sign of slowing.
The trade partnership, officially unveiled on 8 May 2026 at a high-level trade engagement hosted by the Embassy of Uganda in Ankara, Turkey, marks a further step in Uganda’s concerted effort to build direct market connections to major export destinations.
Kafe Kavil, an Ankara-based specialty coffee distributor and supplier, will act as a direct platform for Turkish buyers, roasters and consumers to access Uganda’s premium arabica and fine robusta coffees.
Kafe Kavil Managing Director Akif Atli said the partnership reflected growing demand within Turkey for traceable, origin-focused products. “Uganda offers exceptional coffee and an authentic origin story that resonates strongly with today's coffee consumers,” he said.
Ms. Aacha Mary Orikiriza, Under Secretary representing Uganda’s Minister of State for Agriculture, described the agreement as an important step in expanding market access for Ugandan coffee.
Uganda’s Ambassador to Turkey, H.E. Nusura Tiperu, added that it would strengthen a bilateral commercial relationship that already encompasses more than 100 Turkish companies operating in Uganda.
Despite soaring inflation in recent years, Turkey remains one of Europe’s most robust branded coffee shop markets. World Coffee Portal data shows the total market grew 8.4% to exceed 4,800 stores in 2025, more than double the annual outlet growth of major European markets, the UK, Germany and France.
The new trade deal builds on a trade relationship that has already delivered exceptional volume growth. Uganda’s coffee exports to Turkey rose from approximately 2,304 60-kg bags in 2024 to nearly 15,037 bags in 2025. Export revenues climbed from $3.34m in the 2023/24 fiscal year to $5.51m in the first nine months of 2024/25 alone. Uganda currently produces 9.3 million 60kg bags annually and is seeking to more than double output to 20 million bags by 2030.
The Kafe Kavil agreement is the latest in a sequence of deals reshaping Uganda’s position as a high-quality coffee exporter. In November 2025, Uganda concluded an agreement with Chinese coffee giant Cotti Coffee, opening a direct channel into the world’s largest branded coffee shop market.
Earlier this year, New York-based impact investment firm Acumen invested in Mountain Harvest, a Mbale-based specialty coffee group working with more than 1,000 smallholder farmers in Uganda, to fund new processing infrastructure operational by 2029.
These developments coincide with a period of exceptional growth for Uganda’s coffee sector. The country recorded a 48.5% year-on-year increase in export volumes, reaching 8.7 million 60kg bags, with total export value rising 77% to US$2.4 billion. Uganda is now ranked the world's eighth-largest coffee producer overall.
With production targets set for 2030 and partnerships now spanning China, the US and Turkey, Uganda’s coffee industry is well positioned to consolidate and extend the gains of recent years.
