Uganda Takes Centre Stage at Europe’s Biggest Coffee Event

Corporate editorUpdated 2 weeks Ago2 Mins read114

Uganda has secured one of the most prestigious honours in the global coffee industry after being selected as the official Portrait Country for the 2026 World of Coffee Expo in Brussels, Belgium. The designation will place the East African nation at the heart of Europe’s largest specialty coffee trade event, giving Ugandan coffee unprecedented visibility among international buyers, roasters, investors and industry leaders.

The World of Coffee Brussels 2026 expo will take place from June 25 to 27 at Brussels Expo and is expected to attract thousands of participants from across the global coffee value chain. Organized by the Specialty Coffee Association, the event serves as a premier platform for coffee producers, exporters, retailers, equipment manufacturers and industry experts to network, trade and showcase innovation.

As the 2026 Portrait Country, Uganda will enjoy a prominent presence throughout the three-day exhibition, with dedicated branding, coffee tastings, business engagements and promotional activities designed to highlight the country’s unique coffee heritage and growing influence in the international market. The campaign is being led by the Uganda Embassy in Brussels together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).

The recognition comes at a time when Uganda’s coffee sector is experiencing remarkable growth. The country exported a record 8.4 million bags of coffee worth US$2.4 billion during the 2024/25 financial year, making it Africa’s leading coffee exporter. Coffee now contributes more than 22 percent of Uganda’s total export earnings, underscoring its importance to the national economy.

Uganda’s reputation in the coffee world is built on both scale and quality. The country is renowned as the birthplace of wild Robusta coffee and produces both Robusta and Arabica varieties across diverse growing regions, including the slopes of Mount Elgon, the Rwenzori Mountains and the Lake Victoria basin. More than 1.7 million smallholder farming families depend on coffee production for their livelihoods.

Industry leaders believe the Portrait Country designation will strengthen Uganda’s position in the lucrative European market, the world’s largest coffee-consuming region. The platform is expected to create new export opportunities, attract investment into coffee processing and value addition, and showcase Uganda’s progress in quality improvement, sustainability and specialty coffee production.

For Uganda, the honour is more than a marketing opportunity. It is a recognition of the country’s growing influence in the global coffee industry and a chance to tell its coffee story on one of the world’s biggest stages. As buyers and investors gather in Brussels next year, Uganda will be seeking to transform its status as Africa’s leading exporter into a reputation as one of the world’s most respected coffee origins.