Eswatini Coffee is reaching new markets through a partnership with Kenyan companies, Sumseron Coffee and Café AMKA, facilitated by the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA).
The deal marks the brand’s entry into one of Africa’s most competitive coffee markets and reflects the growing role of regional collaboration in driving intra-African trade.
The partnership was initiated during the 18th Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Business Forum and Exhibition held in Nairobi earlier this year. It aims to promote trade and knowledge exchange between Eswatini’s emerging coffee industry and Kenya’s established coffee ecosystem.
EIPA’s Manager for Export Trade, Thandeka Dlamini, said the authority’s goal is to link small producers to larger regional markets.
“Our focus is to open access for Eswatini businesses into new markets,” Dlamini said.
“Kenya’s coffee industry is well developed, and partnerships like this give our producers a chance to learn, grow, and compete more effectively.”
Coffee production in Eswatini is relatively young compared to the country’s dominant exports of sugar and forestry products. But producers like Eswatini Coffee are slowly gaining recognition for quality beans cultivated in the highlands.
The collaboration with Kenyan companies includes joint tasting events and training sessions designed to raise product quality and strengthen export capacity.
Dlamini believes that such partnerships are essential for building competitive African value chains.
“We can open doors, but long-term success depends on the businesses themselves maintaining and growing these partnerships,” Dlamini added.
The initiative also supports continental goals under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to promote trade between African countries. By facilitating connections between local exporters and regional buyers, EIPA is helping translate those policies into tangible results for small and medium enterprises.
Eswatini Coffee’s Chief Executive, Patrick Du Pont, said the company’s short-term target is to export 400 tonnes of coffee per year, but the long-term vision goes beyond numbers.
“We are proud to be building a brand that represents African collaboration,” Du Pont said. “This is more than a trade deal; it’s an opportunity to grow through shared knowledge and mutual respect.”
Du Pont added that the partnership is already creating exposure for Eswatini-grown coffee in new markets.
“Kenya is a global coffee hub so being part of that network helps us benchmark our quality. It also gives our farmers confidence that their product can compete with the best on the continent,” Dlamini added.
