NAEB awards top unique coffees at 2025 Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition
The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) has announced the winners of the second edition of the annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition, recognizing the country’s 20 most outstanding coffees in this year’s prestigious event.
The Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is designed to celebrate Rwanda’s coffee farmers, processors, and exporters, to showcase the country’s exceptional coffee to international buyers, and to boost its market value.
The annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is organized by NAEB.
The process begins with the submission of coffee samples by farmers, processors, and exporters from across the country.
National coffee cuppers, led by an international head judge, evaluate the samples and select those that advance to the national jury stage. The top-ranked coffees are then declared winners.
This year, 316 coffee samples were submitted from across the country. Of these, 50 advanced to the national jury after scoring at least 86.55 points.
The top 20 coffees, each scoring above 87.49 points, will be sold to global buyers through an online auction scheduled for October 8, 2025.
Ignace Ndayahungwa, the leader of K ORGANICS, the first-place winner, said:“We are proud of the award, which is the result of our farmers’ efforts and community members, where we have over 130 workers. We have 73,000 coffee trees on over 28 hectares, on which we planted quality coffee seedlings approved by RAB. We use organic fertilisers and pesticides. We thank NAEB for organising such an awarding event, and our district for creating an enabling environment for investors in coffee farming.”
NAEB Chief Executive Officer, Claude Bizimana, praised the dedication of Rwanda’s coffee community.
“Each of the 20 top coffees is a testament to dedication, precision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. In acknowledging this achievement, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all stakeholders — our hardworking farmers, washing station managers, exporters, technical teams, jurors, partners, and sponsors — whose passion and commitment have made this competition possible,” he said.
He said the aim of the competition is to create a competition and auction that would achieve three key objectives: namely, showcasing the unmatched excellence of Rwandan specialty coffee to the world; connecting the producers directly with premium international markets; and incentivising innovation and continuous improvement in coffee quality across the value chain.
“In our first year, we achieved total auction sales of $165,544, with an average price of $24.70 per kilogramme, a top price of $71.80 per kilogramme, and 19 winning lots totalling 6,685 kilogrammes. Most importantly, we renewed global trust and demand for Rwandan coffee. These achievements confirmed not only the high regard for Rwandan coffee internationally, but also the effectiveness of the Best of Rwanda platform in linking our producers with premium markets,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Olivier Kamana, who attended the event as the Guest of Honour, stated: “Today, we gather not only to recognize the highest standards of coffee excellence, but to affirm Rwanda’s commitment to quality, innovation, and market leadership in the specialty coffee world. Beyond the numbers, we saw tangible impacts of the Best of Rwanda Coffee National Specialty Coffee Competition including: increased incomes for our coffee farmers, greater international visibility for Rwanda coffee, and stronger trust from some of the most discerning buyers in the world.”
The annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is organized NAEB. The process begins with receiving coffee samples submitted by farmers, processors, and exporters from across the country. National coffee cuppers, led by an International Head Judge, evaluate and select the coffees to advance to the national jury stage. Those passing this stage are then ranked, and the top coffees are declared winners.
Click here to watch the whole Award ceremony.
Click here for the photos.
NAEB awards top unique coffees at 2025 Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition
The National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) has announced the winners of the second edition of the annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition, recognizing the country’s 20 most outstanding coffees in this year’s prestigious event.
The Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is designed to celebrate Rwanda’s coffee farmers, processors, and exporters, to showcase the country’s exceptional coffee to international buyers, and to boost its market value.
The annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is organized by NAEB.
The process begins with the submission of coffee samples by farmers, processors, and exporters from across the country.
National coffee cuppers, led by an international head judge, evaluate the samples and select those that advance to the national jury stage. The top-ranked coffees are then declared winners.
This year, 316 coffee samples were submitted from across the country. Of these, 50 advanced to the national jury after scoring at least 86.55 points.
The top 20 coffees, each scoring above 87.49 points, will be sold to global buyers through an online auction scheduled for October 8, 2025.
Ignace Ndayahungwa, the leader of K ORGANICS, the first-place winner, said:“We are proud of the award, which is the result of our farmers’ efforts and community members, where we have over 130 workers. We have 73,000 coffee trees on over 28 hectares, on which we planted quality coffee seedlings approved by RAB. We use organic fertilisers and pesticides. We thank NAEB for organising such an awarding event, and our district for creating an enabling environment for investors in coffee farming.”
NAEB Chief Executive Officer, Claude Bizimana, praised the dedication of Rwanda’s coffee community.
“Each of the 20 top coffees is a testament to dedication, precision, and an unwavering commitment to excellence. In acknowledging this achievement, I wish to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all stakeholders — our hardworking farmers, washing station managers, exporters, technical teams, jurors, partners, and sponsors — whose passion and commitment have made this competition possible,” he said.
He said the aim of the competition is to create a competition and auction that would achieve three key objectives: namely, showcasing the unmatched excellence of Rwandan specialty coffee to the world; connecting the producers directly with premium international markets; and incentivising innovation and continuous improvement in coffee quality across the value chain.
“In our first year, we achieved total auction sales of $165,544, with an average price of $24.70 per kilogramme, a top price of $71.80 per kilogramme, and 19 winning lots totalling 6,685 kilogrammes. Most importantly, we renewed global trust and demand for Rwandan coffee. These achievements confirmed not only the high regard for Rwandan coffee internationally, but also the effectiveness of the Best of Rwanda platform in linking our producers with premium markets,” he added.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, Dr Olivier Kamana, who attended the event as the Guest of Honour, stated: “Today, we gather not only to recognize the highest standards of coffee excellence, but to affirm Rwanda’s commitment to quality, innovation, and market leadership in the specialty coffee world. Beyond the numbers, we saw tangible impacts of the Best of Rwanda Coffee National Specialty Coffee Competition including: increased incomes for our coffee farmers, greater international visibility for Rwanda coffee, and stronger trust from some of the most discerning buyers in the world.”
The annual Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is organized NAEB. The process begins with receiving coffee samples submitted by farmers, processors, and exporters from across the country. National coffee cuppers, led by an International Head Judge, evaluate and select the coffees to advance to the national jury stage. Those passing this stage are then ranked, and the top coffees are declared winners.
Click here to watch the whole Award ceremony.
Click here for the photos.
