This marks a significant increase from the first two editions, when winning lots fetched $71.80 per kilogramme in 2024 and $88 per kilogramme in 2025.
The winning lot, produced by K-Organics Ltd, sold for a price 66 times higher than the average international market price for Rwandan coffee exports, according to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB).
Evariste Karangwa, owner of K-Organics Ltd, said the achievement would enable him to invest more in coffee farming practices and improve the livelihoods of people in his community.
“This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication we put into producing quality coffee. This recognition will allow me to invest in quality coffee farming activities, hence ensuring even higher quality coffee in the future and improve my community’s livelihood through coffee,” he said.
The auction featured 31 specialty coffee lots selected from 320 entries submitted from across Rwanda. The lots underwent three rounds of sensory evaluation by national and international jurors before being selected for the final auction.
According to NAEB, the auction attracted buyers from Europe, Asia, the United States and Africa, providing an international platform for Rwanda’s specialty coffee producers.
NAEB Chief Executive Officer Claude Bizimana said the price reflected efforts by producers, exporters and other stakeholders to improve coffee quality, traceability and sustainability across the value chain.
“This achievement demonstrates the potential of collaboration among producers, exporters, partners and other stakeholders in advancing quality, traceability and sustainability,” he stated.
Bizimana added that the $452-per-kilogram price reflected continued efforts to strengthen quality and traceability from farms to international markets.
The Best of Rwanda National Specialty Coffee Competition is an annual initiative organised by NAEB to showcase high-quality coffee produced by smallholder farmers and improve their visibility and access to international markets.
Through the competition and subsequent auction, NAEB seeks to expand market opportunities for Rwandan coffee and increase foreign exchange earnings from exports.
Rwanda has continued to promote specialty coffee as a way of increasing the value of its exports, with quality improvements and access to premium international markets offering opportunities for farmers and exporters to earn more from the crop.
The coffee sector generated a record $148.6 million in export revenues in 2025, a 65% increase compared to the previous year.
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