Rwandan coffee company expects sales boost from China import fair

A Rwandan coffee producer has praised the China International Import Expo (CIIE) as an opportunity for enterprises to grow as it prepares to introduce its new instant coffee to the Chinese market.

The CIIE “gives us the platform to showcase what we have” to Chinese consumers, said Aaron Rutayisire, sales and marketing manager of Rwanda Farmers Coffee.

The company, based in Rwanda’s capital Kigali, has already participated twice in the CIIE with its brand Gorilla’s Coffee. This year, it has added a new type of instant coffee to its list of products as it wrestles for a share of the Chinese market with other companies.

The new product on display is developed in line with the needs of Chinese consumers, the manager said, adding that the company hopes to further boost its sales in China given the high quality of its coffee beans and convenience of instant coffee.

He voiced expectations that the company will get more orders from existing and new partners who can buy their products directly or indirectly through the trade fair.

The African company currently gets its high-end coffee beans from coffee farmers’ cooperatives and can process about 9,000 kg of coffee beans a day. As for specialty coffee, beans are only accepted when they have a cupping score of at least 84 points.

Being selective about its coffee products, the company is now looking to China as a significant market in the future, Rutayisire said. “It’s a major market in terms of size, purchasing capacity, online development platforms and e-commerce.”

Moreover, he said that China has set up mechanisms to facilitate businesses as long as one presents certificates of origin and complies with the requirements of regulators. Currently, the company has customers in more than 35 countries that buy its products online and in physical shops.

“We shall be supplying the most preferred coffee products during the exhibition with the same quality, and we can still do much better,” said Rutayisire.