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Best of Rwanda Coffee

Discover the best coffee
from the land of a thousand hills

8th October 2025

Auction Times in your Region

02:00 - Los Angeles
05:00 - New York
10:00 - London
11:00 - Kigali
11:00 - Oslo
11:00 - Amsterdam
12:00 - Moscow
13:00 - Dubai
17:00 - Hong Kong
18:00 - Seoul
19:00 - Melbourne/Sydney

Celebrating Rwandan Coffee Excellence

BEST OF RWANDA is a national coffee competition and auction initiated in 2024 by the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) and supported by the Coffee Exporters and Processors Association in Rwanda (CEPAR). This event aims to support smallholder farmers and promote sustainable coffee production and introduce the global coffee community to award winning Rwanda coffees.

Despite its small size, Rwanda's diverse terroir offers ideal conditions for growing specialty coffee. Discover the exceptional quality of Rwandan coffee, meticulously cultivated by hundreds of thousands of skilled smallholder farmers.

Register to participate
400, 000

Smallholder Farm Families

1,600+

Meters above sea level

300+

Washing Stations

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Welcoming Head Judge Sherri Johns to Best of Rwanda 2025

BEST OF RWANDA 2025 proudly welcomes Mrs. Sherri Johns as its head judge. With 14 years as a former Cup of Excellence Head Judge, Sherri has supported multiple countries, including Rwanda. She is an Authorized SCA Specialty Coffee Trainer, a past SCAA and IWCA board member, and a Barista Champion. Sherri brings extensive experience in judging and quality control for coffee and roasting competitions worldwide. Her expertise ensures fair and transparent evaluation of Rwandan coffee quality from seed to cup.

Our jurors
 
 

"I am honoured to return to Rwanda as Head Judge for the 2025 Best of Rwanda. It is a privilege to once again be invited by NAEB to work alongside the dedicated quality control team, cup with Rwanda's skilled national cuppers — many of whom I 've known for over a decade — and experience the continued innovation at washing stations and mills across the country. I 'm especially excited to welcome this year's International Jury to share in discovering Rwanda 's finest coffees of the season, celebrating excellence, and uplifting the hardworking producers behind every cup."

Sherri Johns

Our 2025 Auction Sample Set!

US $250.00

Winning samples of 100 grs each
Shipping included

Experience the flavors that captivated our judges.
A curated selection from Rwanda's finest farmers — ready for you to explore.

Order a Sample Set

Sample image from Best of Rwanda 2024

FAQs

Our FAQs provide insights to make your coffee sourcing experience seamless and enjoyable. If you don't find what you're looking for, feel free to reach out —we're here to help guide you!

Q. How do I participate in an auction?
  1. Register and create a V-Auction Account

    • To join any V-Auction event, you must create a V-Auction account. During registration, you'll need to agree to our Auction Platform's Terms & Conditions. This step ensures we can verify your identity and that you understand and accept our policies.
  2. Accept the Bidding Agreement

    • Each auction has its own bidding agreement. To place bids and order samples, you must accept the specific agreement for the auction you wish to participate in.
    • Please complete the application with as much information as possible to facilitate the review process.
  3. Discover more auctions!

    • Your V-Auction account grants you access to all coffee auctions hosted by V-Auction.
    • Remember, you must apply to bid in each separate auction, even if you already have an account.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to our support team bestofrwanda@v-auction.com. We're here to help!

Q. How does this type of auction work?

A. The most important part of any auction is the bidding. Specialty coffee auctions work as a 'Helmsman' style auction also known as multi-unit. It works like this:

  • Open bidding starts and continues on all lots simultaneously until each and every lot has received an initial bid.
  • As soon as each lot has received a bid, the auction clock for each lot, starts ticking down from 3 minutes towards zero.
  • Every time a bid is placed, the clock resets to 3 minutes remaining.
  • Once the clock reaches zero, the auction is over and the winners are declared.

This means the full value is achieved for each and every coffee in the auction. This is because the outcome for each coffee is tied to the outcome of the auction as a whole. The more people bid, the more the coffees remain available across the whole auction. This means the producers will receive good value for their coffee and we will all contribute to the sustainability of their farming.

Q. How do I place bids in the auction?

A. Bids can be made in one of three ways:

  • Next Suggested Increment: Click the "Bid" button, then "Confirm" to bid at the next increment.
  • Higher Amount: Enter an amount higher than the current increment in the text box, click "Bid", and then "Confirm".
  • Auto Bidding: Set a maximum amount you are willing to spend. The system will automatically bid on your behalf up to this amount. If the bidding exceeds your set amount, you will need to place another auto-bid to continue.
Q. What happens after I win a lot?

A. Payment for auction lots is due in full within 15 days after the auction date. Please ensure you are familiar with the Terms & Conditions you agree to when registering for the auction.

If the winning bidder does not pay within this time, the lot will be offered to the second-highest bidder.

After the auction closes, we will contact you to arrange payment, contracts, and shipping. Once agreed upon, payment can be made via bank or wire transfer. Other options are available and can be discussed as needed.

For destinations not served by our certified coffee importers, full payment is required before the coffee leaves the country of origin.

View All FAQs here

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Questions About the Auction?

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Feel free to reach out to us via email, and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

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