UK is among Kenya’s top 10 markets for the beverage with the country last year exporting coffee close to Sh1 billion.
Quite notable, the exports to the UK have been dwindling over the years with last year’s shipments to Britain declining by 12 percent.
Uganda is the second-largest producer of coffee in Africa after Ethiopia and is banking on the huge volumes and quality to eat into Kenya’s share of the world market.
Uganda has signed a deal with the UK for the supply of coffee, stepping up rivalry with Kenya for Britain’s Sh111 billion market.
UK is among Kenya’s top 10 markets for the beverage with the country last year exporting coffee close to Sh1 billion.
Quite notable, the exports to the UK have been dwindling over the years with last year’s shipments to Britain declining by 12 percent.
British High Commission in Uganda is working with coffee companies in the country to publicise Ugandan Arabica by supporting them with networks contacts, branding, and exposure to get the coffee into supermarkets shelves.
“We want to publicise the quality of the Uganda specialty Arabica coffee and make British people more aware of the wonders of this Ugandan brand,” said the British High Commissioner to Uganda Kate Airey.
The High Commission has partnered with Uganda Coffee Development Authority to promote competition where the best coffee companies are rewarded.
“We are a significant market, we just need to make more UK market aware of how amazing Uganda coffee is,” she said.
Uganda is the second-largest producer of coffee in Africa after Ethiopia and is banking on the huge volumes and quality to eat into Kenya’s share of the world market.
Direct sales of coffee to the UK will also ensure that Uganda retains its mark of origin, unlike Kenya’s produce that is bought at the auction and exported for blending with other low-quality produce from other countries.
Coffee yields in Kenya have remained low with productivity per bush dropping from 10 kilogrammes in the 1980s to two kilogrammes currently.
The country is seeking to raise the amount of coffee, which is locally roasted, by five to 10 percent annually over the next five years, although concerns remain over falling yields and reduced acreage under coffee.
Statistics from the Coffee Directorate put America as the top importer of Kenya’s produce having bought 9.1 million kilogrammes in the crop year which ended October 2020, up from 6.6 million kilogrammes previously.
Until 2017, Germany was the largest buyer of Kenyan coffee, a position that it had held for nearly a decade.
However, the US took the top spot in 2018 after Kenya aggressively marketed its specialty coffee during the 2018 Specialty Coffee Association of America symposium in Seattle, US.
