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Ethio Coffee Import and Export PLC is a family-owned Ethiopian coffee exporter shipping green coffee beans to roasters, importers, and distributors worldwide.
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Key Takeaway
AFCA's Taste of Harvest is Africa's premier coffee quality competition. At the February 2026 event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia submitted 226 samples across four processing categories: natural, washed, honey, and experimental. Top scorers advance to continental finals, earn one-year AFCA certification with serial numbers, and sell through the new M-Cultivo auction platform where international buyers bid at premium prices.
In February 2026, Ethiopia hosted the 22nd African Fine Coffees Conference and Exhibition (AFCC&E) at the new Addis International Convention Center (AICC). The event drew over 2,000 coffee professionals under the theme "Brewing the Next African Generation," featuring the flagship AFCA Taste of Harvest competition alongside the African Barista Championship, B2B cupping pavilions, and technical workshops.
For Ethiopian coffee producers and exporters, the Taste of Harvest represents a direct path to premium markets: showcase exceptional quality, gain AFCA certification recognized across the global specialty sector, and sell award-winning lots through a transparent auction to buyers who pay well above commodity prices.
This guide covers the competition structure, Ethiopia's 2026 participation, the judging process, AFCA certification benefits, and how both producers and international buyers can use the competition to build sourcing relationships.
AFCA is a non-profit, member-driven organization founded in 2000 to represent Africa's coffee-producing countries. It promotes African coffee quality and market competitiveness through annual conferences, quality competitions, education programs, and direct buyer-seller connections.
The 2026 conference was co-organized with the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) and the Inter-African Coffee Organization (IACO), reflecting the event's continent-wide scope.
Taste of Harvest is AFCA's flagship quality competition. National competitions run in each member country, with top-scoring coffees advancing to the Regional African Taste of Harvest held during the annual AFCC&E conference. The program serves three core purposes:
Discover the finest coffees produced across Africa each harvest season. All samples are cupped and scored using the SCA scoring system by certified Q-graders following AFCA's official Taste of Harvest Protocol.
Winning coffees sell through AFCA's auction platform, connecting award-winning lots directly with specialty buyers at transparent, competitive prices.
Top-scoring coffees receive official AFCA certification with individual serial numbers, providing internationally recognized quality credentials valid for one year.
For the 2025/26 season, AFCA hosted national competitions in nine countries: Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. AFCA also partnered with the International Trade Centre's (ITC) EU-EAC MARKUP II Programme to scale the competition through online auctions in at least five of those countries.
Ethiopia holds a unique position within AFCA and the broader African coffee sector. As the birthplace of Arabica coffee, with unmatched genetic diversity and a production base of 11.6 million 60-kg bags in 2025/26 (USDA forecast), the country is Africa's largest coffee producer and one of its most consistent competition participants.
Ethiopia's Coffee Sector at a Glance (2024/25 Fiscal Year)
Dr. Adunya Debela, Chief Director of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, emphasized that hosting the 2026 conference demonstrated Ethiopia's modern laboratory facilities, well-trained coffee professionals, and leadership role in African coffee quality assessment.
The conference took place at the Addis International Convention Center (AICC), a $1+ billion facility inaugurated in March 2025. The AICC sits on 40 hectares near CMC Square, 15 minutes from Bole International Airport, with a 3,000-seat main conference hall, eight meeting rooms, four exhibition halls, and on-site five-star hotel accommodation.
Gizat Worku, President of the Ethiopian Coffee Association and AFCA Ethiopia Chapter Chairman, noted: "Despite being the origin of coffee, Africa hasn't fully benefited from its global success. This conference is a renewed commitment to closing the gap between origin and market."
Ethiopia's national Taste of Harvest took place alongside the AFCC&E in February 2026, with the Regional Competition starting February 2 (pre-conference) and winners announced at the February 6 Closing Gala.
Evaluation sessions were hosted at the ECTA Coffee Training Center in Addis Ababa, a facility built in partnership with illycaffe's Universita del Caffe. The center features:
Professional Cupping Laboratory: Equipped with sample roasting equipment, temperature-controlled cupping rooms, and water quality control systems meeting international standards
Expert Panel: More than eight certified Q-graders and international coffee professionals conducted blind evaluations across all 226 submitted samples
Research Capacity: Green coffee moisture and density analyzers, colorimetric analysis equipment, and digital scoring systems meeting AFCA competition standards
Dr. Adunya emphasized that the competition showcased Ethiopia's "well-known experts that we have nurtured and developed," demonstrating world-class coffee evaluation capacity to visiting international delegates.
The 2026 Ethiopia national competition featured 226 samples from producers, cooperatives, and exporters across the country's major coffee-growing regions. The breakdown by processing method, reported by W/ro Bamlack Melese (Taste of Harvest Program Supervision Coordinator):
| Processing Method | Samples | Share | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural (Sun-Dried) | 100 | 44.2% | Fruit-forward, full body; Ethiopia's traditional processing heritage |
| Experimental | 46 | 20.4% | Anaerobic, carbonic maceration, and hybrid processes |
| Washed | 43 | 19.0% | Clean, bright, floral profiles; strong demand from specialty roasters |
| Honey | 37 | 16.4% | Balanced sweetness with varying mucilage levels |
| Total | 226 | 100% |
Why Experimental Processing at 20% Matters
The 46 experimental submissions signal Ethiopian producers' rapid adoption of innovation. Anaerobic and carbonic maceration coffees command significant premiums in specialty markets. Buyers looking for differentiated profiles should monitor AFCA results in this category closely.
Samples came from coffee-producing regions across Ethiopia, including:
AFCA's Taste of Harvest follows the SCA cupping protocol, ensuring consistent, internationally recognized evaluation standards.
The Taste of Harvest operates in two phases designed to identify the best coffees across the continent.
Not all national coffees advance to Phase 2. Selection considers:
Coffees that succeed in the Regional finals receive official AFCA recognition, a credential with concrete market value.
AFCA issues individual serial numbers and certificates to winning coffees, providing third-party validated quality documentation recognized by international specialty buyers.
"AFCA Taste of Harvest Winner" is a marketable credential for roasters and retailers. It reduces buyer risk and justifies premium pricing, particularly when combined with other certifications.
Certified coffees are listed on AFCA's auction platform with full cupping profiles, connecting producers directly with international buyers at transparent, competitive prices.
Certification Is Harvest-Specific
As W/ro Bamlack notes, AFCA certification is valid for one year. Certificates apply to the current harvest's coffee, not the producer in general. Even award-winning producers must resubmit samples each season to maintain certified status. This ensures buyers receive fresh-crop, recently evaluated coffee.
For the 2025/26 season, AFCA launched a new partnership with M-Cultivo to power online auctions. This replaces the previous auction system with a modern platform that enables broader international participation.
Award-winning coffees are listed on tasteofharvest.mcultivo.com with:
International buyers register on the platform, review lot profiles, and place bids. The system supports both manual bids and auto-bid functionality. Uganda's 2026 Robusta auction is already live on the platform, with more country auctions to follow.
Competitive bidding drives prices for exceptional lots well above commodity levels. The transparent format ensures producers receive fair market value based on cup quality, not commodity markets.
AFCA's partnership with the International Trade Centre's EU-EAC MARKUP II Programme funds online auction expansion across at least five countries, making award-winning African coffees accessible to a wider pool of international buyers.
While prices vary by coffee quality and lot size, AFCA auction coffees achieve significant premiums over commodity market prices. For reference, Ethiopian FOB export prices reached 423 US cents/lb in April 2025. Award-winning specialty lots at auction command additional premiums of 15-30%+ above standard specialty-grade pricing.
Individual farmers and washing station operators producing exceptional coffee.
Farmer cooperatives and unions representing member producers. Ethiopia's market reforms now allow cooperatives to export directly.
Ethiopian coffee exporters submitting samples from their sourcing networks and partner producers.
Follow @tasteofharvest on Instagram or subscribe to AFCA's WhatsApp channel for announcements on the next competition cycle.
For specialty roasters, importers, and traders, the AFCA Taste of Harvest offers pre-vetted sourcing with built-in quality validation.
Expert panels have already confirmed exceptional quality. Buyers can review cupping scores, sensory notes, and certification details before committing, reducing evaluation workload.
The M-Cultivo auction format provides market-driven pricing. Buyers see all bids and lot details, eliminating information asymmetry common in traditional coffee trading.
AFCA connects buyers with producers and exporters, enabling relationship-building that extends beyond a single auction purchase.
Purchasing AFCA winners provides a compelling retail story: "2026 Taste of Harvest Award Winner, scored 88+." This differentiates roasters in crowded specialty markets.
The competition exposes buyers to exceptional coffees from nine African countries, not just Ethiopia, expanding sourcing options across the continent.
The 2026 Taste of Harvest and Ethiopia's hosting of the AFCC&E signal important developments for the country's coffee sector.
Competition premiums provide tangible rewards for quality investment. When farmers see award-winning lots sell at 2-3x commodity prices through the auction, it drives broader adoption of quality-focused harvesting and processing.
Ethiopia's investment in the ECTA Coffee Training Center, staffed by internationally certified Q-graders, positions the country as a quality assessment hub for the African continent. Other AFCA member countries benefit from Ethiopia's training capacity.
Competition success aligns with Ethiopia's broader market liberalization: over 100 licensed farmer-exporters, direct cooperative exports, and private exporters operating washing stations. These reforms make award-winning coffees more accessible to international buyers.
The traceability documentation required for AFCA competition entries (region, farm, processing details) aligns closely with EUDR compliance requirements. Ethiopia's Coffee Traceability Management System (ECTMS), launched October 2025, strengthens this alignment for EU-bound exports.
As Ethiopia continues expanding its laboratory capacity, training professionals, and integrating with global auction platforms, the country solidifies its role not just as coffee's birthplace, but as a modern leader in specialty coffee quality assessment and trade.
AFCA's Taste of Harvest is Africa's premier coffee quality competition. National competitions run in member countries, with top coffees advancing to a continental final at AFCA's annual conference. Certified Q-graders score all samples blindly using the SCA cupping protocol. Winners receive one-year AFCA certification with serial numbers and sell through the online auction platform.
Nine countries held national competitions: Burundi, Cameroon, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Up to five top-scoring lots from each national competition advanced to the Regional finals held during the 22nd AFCC&E in Addis Ababa in February 2026.
Ethiopia submitted 226 samples across four processing categories: 100 natural (44.2%), 46 experimental (20.4%), 43 washed (19.0%), and 37 honey (16.4%). Samples came from producers, cooperatives, and exporters across the country's major growing regions.
Yes. Winning lots are listed on AFCA's online auction platform (tasteofharvest.mcultivo.com) with cupping profiles, origin data, and certification serial numbers. International roasters and importers register on the platform and place competitive bids. Buyers can also work with Ethiopian exporters who source from competition-winning producers.
Award-winning coffees are listed with lot details, weight, cupping scores, and origin information. Registered buyers place bids or set auto-bids. Competitive bidding drives prices above commodity levels. AFCA's partnership with ITC's EU-EAC MARKUP II Programme supports online auction expansion across multiple African countries.
Ethio Coffee Import and Export PLC sources from cooperatives and washing stations whose coffees compete at national and international levels. Our network spans Ethiopia's top growing regions with full traceability and quality documentation.
About This Insight: This guide was prepared by Ethio Coffee Import and Export PLC based on the 2026 Taste of Harvest competition, statements from Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority leadership, AFCA's official program documentation, and our direct involvement in Ethiopia's specialty coffee sector.
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