{"id":2000104884,"date":"2026-03-10T12:55:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/?p=2000104884"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:57:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:57:44","slug":"rwandan-coffee-roaster-makes-global-top-100-for-the-first-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/rwandan-coffee-roaster-makes-global-top-100-for-the-first-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Rwandan coffee roaster makes global top 100 for the first time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The international contest was held in Spain during the Coffee Fest Madrid exhibition on February 16, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The selection process begins with nominations, where coffee shops are proposed and voted for by people both locally and internationally. The first round of voting accounts for 30% of the total score, while the remaining 70% is awarded in the final stage, which determines the top 100 best coffee shops in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January 2026, coffee houses from Rwanda and around the globe competed in the contest, with Rubia Coffee Roasters emerging among the winners and earning the 54th spot worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


This marks the first time a Rwandan coffee brand has entered the global top 100. Across Africa, only a few countries had coffee roasters featured in the ranking; namely Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Robert Kabandana, Chief Operations Officer at Rubia Coffee Roasters, told IGIHE that winning the award signifies that the coffee meets international standards at every stage, from cultivation to the final cup, reflecting exceptional quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that the recognition highlights the growth of Rwanda\u2019s coffee farming sector and the increasing focus on processing coffee locally. He also emphasized that the achievement comes with greater responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis award has given us extraordinary motivation because the world has recognized our capability,\u201d Kabandana said. \u201cWe are planning to open another branch in Kigali, and there are international companies interested in using our brand name in their countries due to the uniqueness we have demonstrated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he stressed that while Rwanda\u2019s coffee gaining international visibility is positive, it is equally important to strengthen local processing and expand roasting facilities within the country, as Rubia Coffee Roasters has done with its own roasting plant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe encourage Rwandans to continue supporting coffee farmers so that more value is added locally instead of exporting large quantities unprocessed. When domestic coffee consumption increases, we boost the economy because more revenue stays within the country, creating jobs and increasing tax revenues,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubia Coffee Roasters was established in 2017 as a small coffee processing shop and added a roasting plant a year later. The company now has the capacity to process between 500 and 600 kilograms of coffee per day. Its products are supplied to hotels and various institutions in Rwanda and exported to countries including Qatar, Egypt, and Dubai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company continues to sell coffee at its outlet in Kimihurura, Kigali. Rubia Coffee Roasters works closely with coffee farmers, purchasing their harvests and providing training on improving quality and productivity. It also supports other businesses in accessing coffee equipment, as a dealer for Italy\u2019s Simonelli Group in Rwanda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Rwanda\u2019s coffee production and export revenues continue to grow. In the 2024\/25 fiscal year, the country produced 21,295 tonnes of coffee, up from 16,979 tonnes the previous year, an increase of 25%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Coffee companies ranked among the world\u2019s top 100 are considered globally competitive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Mbonyi Kalisa Mathias, founder of Rubia Coffee Roasters, received the award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Employees of Rubia Coffee Roasters celebrate the award won by the company.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The facility processes and prepares coffee using modern equipment and techniques.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rubia Coffee Roasters also offers a space where visitors can taste its coffee.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rubia Coffee Roasters sells a variety of coffee it processes in-house.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rubia Coffee Roasters has the capacity to roast up to 600 kilograms of coffee per day.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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This coffee is grown and processed in Rwanda.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For the first time, a Rwandan coffee roaster has been ranked among the world\u2019s top 100 best coffee shops. Rubia Coffee Roasters secured the 54th position globally in the 2026 edition of the prestigious \u201cWorld\u2019s 100 Best Coffee Shops\u201d competition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2000104910,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000104884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-62","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000104910,"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","alt":"","caption":"Employees of Rubia Coffee Roasters celebrate the award won by the company.","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":667,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","width":150,"height":100},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","width":300,"height":200},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","width":768,"height":512},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","width":1000,"height":667},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/jj.jpg","width":1000,"height":667}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000104884"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000104913,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000104884\/revisions\/2000104913"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000104910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000104884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000104884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000104884"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000104884"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000104884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}