Rwanda coffee sells for record $452 per kilogram
A K-Organics lot fetched a record price at the Best of Rwanda auction, highlighting value chain transformation.
A kilogram of coffee from K-Organics in Huye District sold for a record $452, about Rwf 670,000, at the Best of Rwanda auction on October 21. This sale demonstrates how Rwanda’s coffee sector has transformed from producing low-grade commodity coffee in the 1990s to specialty coffee commanding premium prices.
The transformation involved export reforms, private investment, washing stations, cooperatives, quality standards, and international buyer relationships, reshaping the value chain under the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB). Dr Agnes Kalibata, former Minister of Agriculture, welcomed the record price but urged fair rewards for farmers, who are allocated 75 per cent of auction revenues.
This success builds on systems thinking, where the entire market system connecting farmers to consumers is considered, not just production methods. A past project introducing greenhouse tomatoes and peppers in Rwanda nearly failed due to insufficient attention to market systems, demonstrating that improving production alone is not enough.
Why it mattersFarmers who supply cherries to processors are allocated 75 per cent of Best of Rwanda auction revenues.