Two Ugandan brands on a Zurich stand: what a European buyer checks before listing an origin roaster
By Sandra Nansbuga
Two Ugandan brands on a Zurich stand: what a European buyer checks before listing an origin roaster
Uganda took its own branded coffee to Swiss consumers for the first time at the 8th Swiss Coffee Festival, held at StageOne in Zurich Oerlikon from 31 October to 1 November 2026. Gorilla Conservation Coffee and Carico Coffee held tastings, met buyers and sold retail packs on the stand secured by Uganda's embassy in Switzerland, as UG Standard reported on 6 November.
The setting matters as much as the sale. The organisers, the Specialty Coffee Association Switzerland, counted about 5,500 visitors and 78 booths, and Uganda was one of only three producing countries present alongside Indonesia and Panama, according to the festival's own wrap-up. That is a consumer audience and a roasting trade in the same hall, which is a different test from a trade fair where the buyer is only ever an importer of green.
What did the two companies put in front of that audience?
Gorilla Conservation Coffee is a social enterprise of Conservation Through Public Health, the nonprofit founded by Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka. It says it pays farmers around Bwindi Impenetrable National Park US$0.50 a kilo above the market price. Carico Coffee sources arabica from eastern Uganda, says it trades green and roasted coffee directly with about 1,700 smallholder farmers, and has trained more than 500 of them in agroforestry in Bugisu.
Both are selling a story with the bag, and both are selling roasted rather than green. Uganda's ambassador to Switzerland, Marcel Tibaleka, framed it as the start of a longer commercial relationship with Swiss traders, roasters and consumers.
What should a buyer check when an origin brand arrives with retail packs?
Start with the roast date and the pack format, because a retail listing lives or dies on those two. Ask when the coffee was roasted, what valve and barrier film the bag uses, and what shelf life the roaster is prepared to guarantee in writing. A bag that left Kampala three months before it reached a Zurich shelf tells you what the supply chain will look like in month six of a listing.
Then ask about lot size and repeatability. Selling bags at a festival is a one-off, while a listing asks for the same cup every month. Ask how many kilos a month the roaster can hold to a profile, which farms or co-operatives the lots come from, and what happens to the blend when a component is out of season. Carico's 1,700 farmers and Gorilla Conservation Coffee's Bwindi sourcing are the answer to that question, if they can be tied to the specific lots on offer.
Traceability claims deserve the same treatment, and Fluna's sesame rejection case shows how fast a lane can close. A blockchain reference is a mechanism, not a result, so ask for a farm list and the data behind any origin or deforestation claim you intend to repeat on your own packaging. Then ask what premium reached the farmer and how it is recorded, since the US$0.50 figure is the kind of claim a retail buyer will be asked to defend.
Where does the price conversation start?
Compare the landed cost of a roasted retail bag against the green equivalent, and ask what roast, pack and freight add per kilo. Uganda's Ministry of Agriculture put exports at 8.8 million bags worth US$2.38 billion in the 12 months to mid-2026, as NTV Uganda reported, and the point of a Zurich stand is to capture part of that value closer to origin. A buyer who can price the difference per kilo knows what the brand story is worth.
FAQ
Q: Was this Uganda's first appearance at the Swiss Coffee Festival?
A: Yes. The 2026 edition was the 8th festival and Uganda's first appearance, with Gorilla Conservation Coffee and Carico Coffee exhibiting on a stand secured by the embassy in Switzerland.
Q: How large is the Swiss Coffee Festival?
A: About 5,500 visitors and 78 booths, according to the organisers. Uganda was one of three producing countries represented, alongside Indonesia and Panama.
Q: Does a festival sale mean a Ugandan brand is ready for European retail?
A: Not on its own. It shows the product can be roasted, packed and sold at origin, while a listing also needs roast date discipline, repeatable lots and traceability records a buyer can pass on.
Sources: UG Standard | Specialty Coffee Association Switzerland | NTV Uganda