Uganda Green Coffee Export Review

Article Summary:

• A top 10 coffee producing country, 80% of the production is Robusta with the remaining being Arabica 
• Increased production areas in previous years are now opening, increasing annual production volumes 
• Most sources cite Typica, Kent, and SL14 and SL28 as the country’s most common Arabica cultivars. Uganda also boasts a unique variety usually called Bugisu (sometimes Nyasaland) which is related to Jamaica Blue Mountain Typica. 
• Flavor profiles from the country tend to be heavier bodied with lots of chocolate notes, though recent interest in small quantities of extraordinary specialty coffee unlock flavors ranging from tea-like and floral to fruit-forward naturals. 
• As a landlocked country Uganda relies on other countries to provide export coffees from their post. A good amount of coffee heads to Kenya’s port of Mombasa. 

Uganda Green Coffee Export Review 2026 

Uganda is a top-tier coffee growing country, producing quite a bit of coffee at 6.88 million 60kg bags in 2025 and ranking #6 in volume worldwide. It is the country’s third-most produced commodity crop, after corn and sugarcane. Though Uganda produces a large amount of coffee, it wasn’t until recently that the country began producing specialty coffee. Primarily known for its Robusta export, around 80% of the country‘s volumes, the species of coffee is considered native to rainforests of Uganda’s southern Lake Victoria basin. Flavor profiles from the country tend to be heavier bodied with lots of chocolate notes. Arabica and washed coffees are more common in the East near Mt. Elgon and the far north- and south-west zones, whereas the center of the country is more frequently natural processed coffees, often robusta. The country’s regionality and equatorial nature create varying harvest timelines, with the northern regions including Mt. Elgon harvesting between October and February, and southern zones harvesting from April to July. Many regions have a fly crop in the off season. Ugandans have traditionally consumed very little of the coffee they produce, exporting more coffee than any other nation in Africa, including Ethiopia. 

Green Coffee Export Stats 

In the 2024-year Uganda exported $1.5B dollars’ worth of coffee which makes it the 8th largest exporter in the world of coffee. Main exports had a destination of Italy, Germany, U.S and India. Total production is projected to hit 7.2 million 60kg bags, up 100,000 from the previous year. Expansion of production is driven by high prices and increased harvested area that reflects the expansion of planted areas,  

Internal consumption of coffee is expected to increase in the 2026/27 year period which is driven by growth of the hospitality sector in the country as well as gradual rise in coffee consumption in urban areas.  Robusta makes up for 80% of the of the total production in the country and arabica makes up the remaining percentage.  

Production  

Steady production growth over the last few decades has brought Ugandan coffee to top-ten status in global production, accounting for a little over 4% of the world’s coffee. In 2025, it produced 6.88 million bags of coffee, with approximately 80% of that volume being robusta. Domestic consumption has grown in recent years in urban areas, to a few hundred thousand bags annually, about 2% of its production volume. 

Traditionally much of Uganda’s coffee has undergone minimal processing as natural coffee, but government policy is shifting focus towards more the more value-additive washed coffees and roasted coffee. Central processing is becoming more common in specialty production. 

Commercial grades of arabica coffee in Uganda are divided into process types. WUGAR (washed Uganda arabica) and natural-processed DRUGAR (dried Uganda arabica) are the most widely available. Washed profiles at this level are often earthy and fudgy with little fruit or acid articulation. Consumers buy them primarily for their mouthfeel and bittersweet simplicity. Naturals can have more heft and sweetness, but consumers buy them for similar reasons. These feature low differentials, mostly neutral cup profiles, and ready availability. DRUGAR grades are annually 50% of arabica exports in Uganda. 

Higher quality Arabicas are categorized on the British grading system as Bugisu in AA, A, B, and PB categories, while commercial Robusta volumes fall into either Screen 12 or 15 categories, the larger being slightly more valuable. 

World Coffee Research claims that an astounding 99% of Uganda’s coffees are grown by smallholder farmers. Fertilizers are uncommon in the country but they are starting to be. Medium and large scale operations account for most of the fertilizer usage. High cost constrains small producers’ ability to utilize this tool.  

Coffee growing regions 

Mt. Elgon is probably the country’s most recognized arabica origin, including the registered Bugisu geographical indication, in the east along the Kenyan border, while Lake Victoria’s robustas certainly make for compelling marketing despite the larger volumes produced in the middle of the country. 

Arabica is also grown in the northwestern West Nile region, where coffees are often washed, and The Rwenzori Mountains in the southwest, where natural processing is more common.  

Cultivars 

Most sources cite Typica, Kent, and SL14 and SL28 as the country’s most common Arabica cultivars. Uganda also boasts a unique variety usually called Bugisu (sometimes Nyasaland) which is related to Jamaica Blue Mountain Typica. Common Robusta varieties include Nganda (indigenous), Erecta (introduced) and other undocumented indigenous landraces. Kituuza Robusta (KR) varieties have been introduced in recent years to improve disease resistance. 

Bugisu in Uganda may refer to a geographically indicated region, cultivars produced in that region, a grade of coffee, and/or a very specific Typica variant. The latter was first introduced from Jamaica into Malawi (then “Nyasaland”) where it gets its alternate name. It was taken to Uganda in 1910 and is grown almost exclusively on Mt. Elgon. It is susceptible to disease, only thrives at higher elevations, is low yielding… but produces high cup quality under the right conditions. 

Typica is the world’s oldest recognized single cultivated variety, taken from Ethiopia to Yemen to India and officially delineated in Indonesia in 1699. Kent is an Indian selection from the early 20th century, once assumed to be Typica, now known to be genetically similar to Bourbon. 

SL14 was produced in the late 1930’s by Scott Labs and was selected from a single tree labeled Drought Resistant II. Genetic tests have confirmed that it is related to the Typica genetic group. SL28 is a well-known cultivar in Africa and has a very good reputation for cup quality and resistance to drought. 

Logistics  

As another east African landlocked country, it relies on other countries to provide export coffees from their post. A good amount of coffee heads to Kenya’s port of Mombasa, located on the western boarder of the country. This distance can create some complication getting it from point A to point B, especially when crossing boarders between countries. Like many other coffee producing countries most of the production is created by small farm holders and so organization via coops is very important to have a centralized location for wet processing and a direct line to the dry mill step.  

Royal Coffee Availability  

Ugandas are just now arriving with three new Crown Jewels available; a honey, natural and natural anaerobic. Our main offering sheet is flush with Ugandan options with more on the way.