At the 2025 London Coffee Festival held at Newman Breweries, Ugandan coffee producers captivated global audiences with their rich, sustainable brews, showcasing the country’s finest arabicas and robustas. Supported by the UK Trade Partnerships programme (UKTP) and the International Trade Centre, in collaboration with the Uganda Coffee Federation, six Ugandan coffee companies highlighted their journey from farm to cup, positioning Uganda as a rising star in the global specialty coffee market.
The Ugandan booth at the London Coffee Festival 2025, adorned with the slogan “I Drink Ugandan,” buzzed with activity as attendees sampled specialty coffees and engaged with producers. Modern roasting machines and cutting-edge techniques were on display, emphasizing innovation in an industry rooted in tradition.
Companies like Mwanyi Terimba Limited, known for its Buganda region heritage, and others such as Dream Coffee UG and Carico Coffee, showcased the diversity of Ugandan coffee, from the rare wild robustas of the country’s rainforests to high-quality arabicas processed at mills like Mbale Bugisu and Budadiri Coffee Factories.
The London Coffee Festival event, which drew coffee enthusiasts worldwide, offered a platform to celebrate not just coffee but also culture, community, and sustainability, as highlighted in a July 2024 Africa Newsroom press release.
Uganda has long been a powerhouse in Robusta coffee, introduced to the East African country in 1900, and remains the third-largest global producer of the variety (Baffes, 2006). However, the Uganda Coffee industry faced challenges after the 1990s boom, particularly following the dissolution of the Coffee Marketing Board.
Today, the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) under the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries aims to boost export revenue from $0.5 billion in 2014/15 to $2.5 billion by 2040 through its National Coffee Strategy. Initiatives like the London Coffee Festival are critical for achieving this goal, providing exposure to international markets.
With coffee trees averaging 50 years old and intercropped with food crops under banana shade, as noted by Sweet Maria’s Coffee Library, Ugandan coffee production also emphasizes sustainability which is a key selling point for global buyers increasingly focused on ethical sourcing.
“We’re not just selling coffee; we’re sharing our heritage and our commitment to sustainable farming,” said a representative from Mwanyi Terimba Limited, one of the exhibitors. The London Coffee Festival event also fostered connections, with attendees learning about the journey of Ugandan coffee beans, from smallholder farmers to international cups.
The participation of Ugandan producers at the London Coffee Festival aligns with the goals of the UK Trade Partnerships programme (UKTP), funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to enhance trade from African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries to the United Kingdom and European Union.
By leveraging Economic Partnership Agreements and the United Kingdom’s Developing Countries Trading Scheme, the programme empowers small and medium-sized enterprises to expand their reach.
For Uganda, this event marks a step toward reclaiming her place on the global coffee map, potentially increasing demand for the country’s specialty beans. However, challenges remain, including low domestic consumption and the need for greater investment in farmer training and infrastructure to improve yields, which currently average 0.625 tons per hectare but could rise by 86% with better practices, according to a 2017 GCP study.
As the aroma of Ugandan coffee lingers at the London Coffee Festival, the event underscores a broader narrative of resilience and ambition. With global interest in sustainable, high-quality coffee on the rise, Uganda’s producers are poised to brew a brighter future, one cup at a time.
The question now is how the country can build on this momentum to ensure the coffee farmers, many of whom are smallholders, reap the benefits of this growing international spotlight.
Learn more about Uganda’s coffee journey and the London Coffee Festival, or follow @UKinUganda on X for updates on trade initiatives supporting Ugandan producers.
For those interested in sustainable coffee, the Uganda Coffee Farmers Alliance (UCFA) offers opportunities to connect directly with farmers.
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