Alupo opens Uganda coffee hub in Riyadh
Vice President Jessica Alupo has launched Uganda’s first single-origin coffee franchise, Nonda Coffee Shop and Roastery, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The new outlet introduces premium Ugandan coffee to residents, business travelers, and international visitors in the kingdom and is the first of several planned across Saudi Arabia.
The launch supports Uganda’s effort to expand coffee exports, create jobs, and bring more smallholder farmers into commercial agriculture. Alupo said the initiative helps integrate households still outside the money economy and strengthens ties between Uganda and Saudi Arabia through cooperation in agriculture and manufacturing. The project is part of Nonda Coffee’s Value at Source program, developed in collaboration with Saudi-based Ingazi Group International, which aims to boost local processing and branding, thereby retaining more value within producing communities.
A key component of the partnership is the upcoming Luwero Coffee Park in Uganda, set to process 35,000 metric tons of coffee annually. Nonda Commodities CEO Tonny Miiro Kibuuka said the venture could employ thousands and enhance Uganda’s global coffee presence. National coffee production rose to 8.2 million 60-kilogram bags in fiscal year 2023/24, with export earnings reaching $1.144 billion, highlighting the sector’s growth and untapped potential for value addition.
