Chinese café group Cotti Coffee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources to help drive international recognition and boost the country’s export market to China.
According to the Rwandan Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources’ X (formerly Twitter) account, the memorandum signed on 6 June in Rwanda will see Cotti Coffee International invest in establishing a China-Rwanda International Coffee Industry Development Demonstration Park in Rwanda.
The investment aims to elevate the overall standard of Rwanda’s coffee industry and resonate with China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure development strategy established in 2013 to invest in more than 150 countries and international organisations.
According to the X account, in attendance at the signing ceremony was Dr Mark Cyubahiro Bagabe, Minister of Agriculture of Rwanda; Gao Zhiqiang, Commercial Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda; Zheng Weijie, President of International Business at Cotti Coffee International; as well as senior officials from the Rwanda Agricultural Development Board and the Agricultural Export Development Authority.
International coffee shop group Cotti Coffee currently has more than 14,000 stores across 28 countries.
Located in volcanic regions with rainfall and significant diurnal temperature variations, Rwandan coffee is known for its distinctive sweet fruit aroma and acidity.
