Kigali coffee conference to attract over 500 participants

Recently Rwandan coffee scored a record of $39.7 (Rwf21,865) per kg during an international on-line auctioning Rwanda is to host the 6th African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition next year, the Executive Director of Eastern Africa Fine Coffees Association (EAFCA) Philip A. Gitao has said. The conference is scheduled to take place between the 12th and the 14th of February at Serena Hotel, Kigali. “This conference is organised on rotational basis, we are mostly aiming at marketing our product widely and also exploring business opportunities,” Gitao said at an African Coffee Connection cocktail held at Hotel Novotel, Saturday. The cocktail was organised by EAFCA in conjunction with government coffee entity Ocir café to award Rwandan and Burundian star coffee cuppers who successfully concluded their one week coffee cupping training. It also included the awarding of Burundian best quality coffees under EAFCA’s Taste of Harvest program. Gitau told The New Times that the conference will attract over 500 delegates from all over the world in high profiled business entities in the world. According to Gitao, not only people from high profiled business community will attend the conference but also people from high profiled political offices. During the conference an exhibition of 12.5 percent of the world’s coffee comes from the East African region and this includes Rwandan and Burundian fine coffees that will be exhibited to the world’s coffee specialists, dealers and brokers. Meanwhile, Gitau told The New Times that both countries’ coffee cuppers have been trained on how to profile coffees in a specilaised way which earns them to know more about different coffees. He also added that Rwanda’s coffee has earned high standard and have got a huge future in world. Mbula K. Masau the Quality and Marketing Manager of EAFCA said, “If coffee is consumed domestically the cuppers and baristas get inspired on how they can improve the quality of the coffee.” According to Masau, East African coffees have suffered inconsistency in supply of the international market. Recently Rwandan coffee scored a record of $39.7 (Rwf21,865) per kg during an international on-line auctioning. At least seven countries auctioned their coffees under the prestigious coffee Cup of Excellence (CoE), and Rwandan coffee was 5th in position, ahead of prominent coffee producers from Honduras and Costa Rica. Ends

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Kigali coffee conference to attract over 500 participants