Rwandan specialty coffee processors are looking to clinch key export deals at the ongoing annual Specialty Coffee Conference and Exhibition (SCAJ) in Japan, enabling them to expand the export market and attract new buyers.

The expo, that started on September 20 and closes today, brought together all sorts of coffee specialties across the world and their owners, including five Rwandan coffee companies and a National Agricultural Export Board (NAEB) representative, to create more market linkages, NAEB said in a statement yesterday.

Through meeting and seminar opportunities at the conference, it is expected that Rwanda specialty coffee brands will be promoted and gain more visibility at the international market, according to Dr Gatarayiha Celestin, the head of the coffee division at NAEB, who led the delegation.

Gatarayiha added that the expo is an opportunity to identify a new market niche for Rwanda coffee and establish more linkages with different international specialty coffee markets.

"We are exposing our coffee to the Asian specialty coffee importers, roasters and retailers, and providing vital information leading to a better understanding of our coffee industry,” the NAEB official noted.

At the Rwanda coffee brand booth, the country’s coffee, known for its good quality in the world is being exhibited to more than 27,000 expected visitors of the trade show, the statement added.

According to NAEB, Rwanda participated in the previous exhibition in 2015 and "reaped” good deals, whereby eight different coffee companies have been buying Rwanda coffee as a result of contacts and meetings.”

For the last five years, the country’s coffee export to Asia increased significantly from 67,361 kilogrammes of green coffee in 2011 to 1,546,061 kilogrammes this year, the agro-exports body added. The countries of destination in Asia are Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Oman and China.