For years, Ethiopia held the crown. Its beans were legendary, its history unrivalled. The birthplace of Arabica the face of African coffee. But quietly, steadily, Uganda has rewritten the script. Today, it stands as Africa’s top coffee exporter in volume, in value, and in vision.
Uganda’s Rise: The Numbers Tell the Story
In May 2025, Uganda exported 793,445 sixty kilogramme bags of coffee roughly 47,600 metric tonnes. Ethiopia, long the leader, managed just over 43,000 tonnes. Uganda didn’t simply edge ahead in the numbers it made a statement. And this wasn’t a one-off surge. It was the second time in less than a year that Uganda pulled ahead.
Then came June 2025: Uganda’s coffee exports soared again reaching over 1.01 million bags, up 52% year-on-year, while earnings climbed to USD 290 million, a remarkable 78% increase from June 2024. Over the twelve months ending in May 2025, Uganda shipped 7.43 million bags, earning USD 2.09 billion. By the end of June, those figures had risen even further to 7.7 million bags and USD 2.2 billion, nearly doubling from the previous year.
These aren’t merely signs of high output. They signal robust global demand and a coffee sector firing on all cylinders.
How Did Uganda Get Here?
Not by chance. Not by nostalgia. But through strategy. Uganda invested where it mattered in seedlings, farmer training, processing, and post-harvest systems. It treated coffee not merely as a crop, but as a national priority. The Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, set clear targets, supported smallholders, and placed quality at the centre of the value chain.
And it’s working.
Uganda now exports both Robusta and Arabica at scale with specialty Arabica from the Elgon and Kigezi highlands gaining traction globally. At the World of Coffee Expo in Geneva (June 2025), Uganda didn’t just show up it stole the show. International buyers crowded its stand. Cupping sessions were packed. People are no longer just discovering Ugandan coffee they’re actively seeking it out.
Yes, Ethiopia’s heritage is secure. But in today’s coffee economy, legacy doesn’t lead strategy does. Uganda has taken that lesson to heart. This is more than agriculture. It’s national branding. It’s trade policy. It’s rural transformation. Coffee has become central to Uganda’s economic story and now, the world is paying attention.
So the next time you sip your morning brew, check the origin.
If it says Uganda, know you’re tasting more than just a good bean.
You’re sipping the rise of a new and undisputed coffee champion.
