Delegates taking part in the 2026 Uganda Trade and Investment Roadshow visited Zigoti Coffee Works in Zigoti, Mityana District, to learn how Ugandan coffee moves from the farm to local and international markets.
The visit gave investors, business leaders and other participants an opportunity to see the different stages of the coffee value chain, including cultivation, quality control, processing and opportunities for adding value to Uganda’s coffee before it reaches consumers.
The delegation was shown how investment, financing, technology and access to markets can help coffee businesses expand while creating better opportunities for farmers and communities.
Zigoti Coffee Works Limited, commonly known as ZICOFE, is a Ugandan coffee enterprise whose history dates back to 1984, when Rose Nakayenga Kato and her late husband, Enock Kisuule Kato, established the business in Zigoti.
The company started as a small coffee mill providing marketing and processing services to farmers and later expanded into coffee processing and exporting.
The company buys coffee from farmers and farmer groups in different parts of Uganda, with coffee collected through stations in areas including Mbale, Masaka, Kyotera, Kibaale, Mbarara and Kasese before being taken to its factory in Zigoti for export processing.
The farm visit formed part of the Uganda leg of the 2026 Uganda Trade and Investment Roadshow organised by Equity Group.
The roadshow opened in Kampala on September 14 and brought together more than 150 investors, entrepreneurs, policymakers and private-sector leaders from 10 nationalities.
At the opening event held at the Marriott Hotel Kampala, the minister of Trade, Sanjay Tanna called for increased investment in value addition, manufacturing and innovation, urging businesses to move beyond exporting raw materials and instead develop products that can compete in local, regional and international markets.
Coffee was among the sectors highlighted during the roadshow because of the opportunities available across its value chain, including production, processing, quality assurance, technology, traceability and branding.
The visit to Zigoti therefore offered delegates an opportunity to connect the discussions held in Kampala with an operating Ugandan business and see where investment could help strengthen the coffee industry.
Equity Bank has said the roadshow is intended to connect Ugandan businesses with investors, financing, markets, technology and strategic partnerships.
The roadshow is part of broader efforts to strengthen trade and investment links between Uganda and businesses from the region and beyond, with the aim of helping Ugandan enterprises access capital, technology and new markets.
