Bourbon Coffee Rwanda is set to open more coffee shops to boost consumption of locally produced coffee.

Paul Maganda, the Bourbon Coffee chief operations officer, said the move is aimed at boosting consumption of locally produced coffee.

It is also expected to create more market for Rwandan coffee in both regional and global markets.

"We are currently negotiating with other stakeholders to ensure that we expand to other parts of the country to serve our customers efficiently and diligently,” Maganda said

Bourbon Coffee currently operates 7 branches across the country.

The company is also working with the National Agriculture Export Board (NAEB) to ensure that farmers and factories embrace value addition and the importance of consuming locally produced coffee.

Both Bourbon Coffee and NAEB have been conducting countrywide training and contests for baristas and other sector stakeholders as one of the ways to improve the quality of coffee

And according to sector players, increasing consumption of locally produced coffee does not only increase the market but also reduces the importation of other alternatives.

Government and the private sector have been seeking ways to increase consumption of locally produced products to reduce on the import bill.

Francois Kanimba, the Minister of Trade and industry, explained that this is yet another strategy to boost competitiveness of made in Rwanda products.

"It is important that as we talk about increasing our exports, we also think about reducing our import bills, and one way to achieve this balance is by encouraging consumption of locally manufactured goods,” Minister Kanimba said.

Coffee is one of the biggest contributors to Rwanda’s total export revenue.

Therefore increasing its consumption both locally and internationally could help narrow down the country’s trade deficit.

The country’s coffee exports increased by 17.7 per cent in volume and 4.0 per cent in value

Overall the sector raked in more $62million in foreign exchange in 2015.

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