By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
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Mogadishu, 3 November 2026 – Banadiria Coffee has won Exporter of the Year – Large Enterprise at the East African Community (EAC) Regional Quality Awards 2026, held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Banadiria Coffee competed in the category against Nature’s Fish Limited of Tanzania, which came second. The EAC Exporter of the Year Award recognises businesses that sell beyond the borders of the East African region. Companies are assessed on sustained export growth over the past three years and on their success in entering multiple international markets.
The win reflects the company’s commitment to quality, excellence, innovation and promoting Somali products in regional and international markets.
Banadiria Coffee is a coffee production and export business that has been operating since the 1970s. The company is led by its CEO, Ibrahim Ali Shiddo.
Banadiria Coffee says it supplies coffee to 70% of coffee shops in Somalia and 95% of those in Mogadishu, with around 100 staff based in Somalia and abroad.
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The company operates on two levels. It sources, processes and distributes coffee to coffee shops across the country, supermarkets and its international customers. It also runs a training centre, Banadiria Coffee Roasters Training, which trains professionals working in coffee shops.
Banadiria’s win carries particular significance for Somalia since coffee is not yet among the country’s main exports. Livestock remains the country's largest export earning $974 million in 2024.
The recognition shows Somali companies can diversify beyond the traditional exports and compete in international markets.
Banadaria Coffee joins other Somali companies that received awards in Kigali this year. These include Tabaarak ICT Solutions, which won Service of the Year, and First Somali Takaful Insurance, which won Company of the Year for small and medium-sized enterprises.