Uganda is Making Waves in the Specialty-Coffee Scene

Long overlooked in the specialty sector, Ugandan coffee producers broke records at a Mountain Harvest auction earlier this month.

BY BHAVI PATEL
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Photos courtesy of Mountain Harvest

What to know:

• From July 6 to 8, 2026, Ugandan coffee producer Mountain Harvest hosted a specialty auction in London, with a Natural Geisha lot from Rwenzori Estate closing at a record-breaking price
• Uganda was selected as Portrait Country at World of Coffee Brussels, marking a positive turning point for Uganda’s coffee sector

Ugandan coffee just made history. Early this month, a specialty auction called The Paradigm Shift, hosted by producer Mountain Harvest and auction house M-Cultivo, drew more than 1,000 bids and closed with a record-breaking top price of $350.02 per kilogram for a Natural Geisha lot from Rwenzori Estate Farm. The event, which ran from July 6 to July 8, 2026, in London, also achieved a weighted average price of $24.32 per kilogram across all lots.

The result signals more than a single winning sale. It marks a turning point for how the world values coffee grown in Uganda, arriving just weeks after the country’s star turn as Portrait Country at World of Coffee Brussels late last month.

From overlooked origin to specialty star

For years, Uganda’s coffee sector operated in the shadow of pricing set far from its farms. Kenneth Barigye of Mountain Harvest put its plainly: “For decades, the coffee industry has largely asked producers to fit within a price determined elsewhere. The results of this auction point to a different future, one where value is created and recognized at origin.”

“A highest bid of US$ 350.02 per kilogram, a weighted average price of US$ 24.32 per kilogram, and more than 1,000 bids are not just commercial milestones; they are evidence that innovation, quality, transparency, and producer leadership can reshape how coffee is valued,” adds Kenneth. “This is more than a successful auction. It is proof that the paradigm has shifted, and that when producers are empowered to innovate, the entire coffee industry benefits.”

That shift did not happen by accident. Mountain Harvest was founded in 2017 to professionalize every link in Uganda’s coffee supply chain, from farmer services and processing to logistics and market engagement. Its first-place win in the 2025 African Taste of Harvest competition sparked global buyer interest, but traditional market negotiations struggled to price specialty coffee fairly. The auction format gave buyers direct access to what organizers called “the other side of Ugandan coffees,” hence the name The Paradigm Shift.

Buyers take notice, origin takes credit

The winning bidders, China-based CHG, said they were proud to take part in what they called a historic moment for Ugandan coffee. David Paparelli, CEO of M-Cultivo, said auctions can reshape how markets perceive origins like Uganda, adding that the country’s potential to grow exceptional Arabica had simply taken too long to be recognized at this level.

That recognition builds on real momentum. Uganda spent June 2026 as the featured Portrait Country at World of Coffee Brussels, Europe’s largest specialty coffee trade event, where it launched its first national coffee brand, “Uganda Coffee: It’s in Our Nature.” Uganda exported 8.78 million 60-kilogram bags of coffee worth $2.38 billion in the 12 months to April 2026, up 22 percent in volume year over year, cementing its status as Africa’s leading coffee exporter.

A paradigm worth watching

Between a record-setting auction lot and a headline slot on Europe’s biggest coffee stage, Uganda’s specialty sector is proving it belongs in the same conversation as the world’s most celebrated origins. With specialty coffee still representing a small share of national output, the country’s ceiling looks far from reached. If The Paradigm Shift is any indication, buyers, roasters, and producers alike have reason to keep watching Uganda closely in the seasons ahead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bhavi Patel is a food writer focusing on coffee and tea, and a brand-building specialist with a background in dairy technology and an interest in culinary history and sensory perception of food.

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