Endre Vestvik on getting the most out of the Coffee Sector

1. What are your names? 

My name is Endre Vestvik.

2. Where did you go to school and what did you study? 

My background is in film and TV production. I studied filmmaking and has been 

working in the film and TV industry in Norway for 20 years, before moving to Uganda and 

going into coffee.

3. Tell us about what you do? Having looked at your LinkedIn profile you seem to be 

in the coffee sector? 

That’s correct. I am the founder of Wild, a Ugandan coffee company. I left Norway 

and my career there when I got involved in a coffee farm in Uganda and discovered the deep 

structural unfairness of the coffee industry. 

While the coffee-growing countries, like Uganda, grow this very valuable crop, they 

seem not to benefit much from it. Most coffee-growing countries happen to be some of the 

poorest countries in the world. Yet, coffee generates billions of dollars every year.

I started wondering: Does it have to be this way? Or can the coffee trade be 

structured in a better way? One that benefits the coffee-growing countries? As I pondered 

this issue, a business idea slowly started to emerge. One that involved exporting roasted 

coffee, while keeping the bulk of the value at origin.The key is value addition. This is why 

countries like Uganda remain poor. For every container of green coffee that leaves 

Uganda, huge value potential leaves as well. Value that goes to the global north, creating 

lots of money.

Because of the way the coffee industry works, every cup of coffee we drink makes 

the rich richer. While the poor remain poor. Coffee is actually one of the key makers of 

global inequality. With Wild, we want to turn this model on its head. Frankly, the extractive 

business model of coffee belongs in the trash bin of history.

So this is our goal: To help pioneer a change of the entire coffee industry.

4.What are the major challenges we are facing and how have you transformed those 

into opportunities? 

Africa is still too much relying on exporting raw materials at a very low value. Not 

only coffee. Tea, cocoa, chocolate, vanilla, cotton, and minerals. The list goes on and on.

Wild has started exporting roasted coffee directly to the end consumer in Norway. 

(We are now working on expanding to new markets.) Our model makes the value returning 

to Uganda 5 times higher than green coffee. This allows us to create jobs and support the 

local economy in a way that green coffee can’t.

I believe a movement is now slowly starting. Africa is tired of providing the global 

north with cheap raw materials, without benefitting from their potential value. I hope and 

believe we will see a strong change towards full local value addition in many industries in 

the years to come. I think the future for local value addition in Africa is very exciting!

5. The sector has many moving parts. What are they? How would you describe the 

ecosystem around Coffee in Uganda. Are we in a unique position unlike any other 

country? 

The coffee industry traditionally consists of a rather long chain of middlemen, taking 

the coffee step by step from the farm to the end consumer. Not all of them operate to the 

benefit of farmers and the producing countries. Wild removes all middlemen. We buy directly 

from the farmers and sell directly to the end consumer. That’s it. No traders, no brokers, no 

one to extract value or tamper with the quality. Uganda has a few unique benefits as a 

coffee producer. First of all, Uganda can grow both Arabica and Robusta at very high 

quality. The location, in the middle of the equator, is perfect for coffee growing. And with 

several high-altitude regions, with abundant rainfall and fertile soils, Uganda has the 

potential to grow some of the best coffees in the world. We are only starting to see this 

now, as Uganda didn’t historically focus on quality coffee. It was only a cash crop. But this 

is quickly changing. A new generation of young, passionate coffee farmers is now coming 

up. The future is very exciting for Ugandan coffee.

6. Do you have any interesting experiences you wish to share to young people 

in the coffee sector? 

One of the things that amazed me when I came to Uganda was the fact that most 

coffee farmers have never tasted coffee. This was unbelievable to me. So we need the 

young people in the coffee sector to help make everyone in Uganda— farmer or not— start 

drinking coffee. We need to turn Uganda into a nation of coffee lovers!

7. Congratulations on winning the African Excellence Awards for 2024. What 

specifics does this award celebrate as such how did you position yourself and 

your team to win? 

Thank you! Winning an award like the African Excellence Award as Best Ugandan Coffee 

Brand means a lot to us. It encourages us to keep working hard to provide the best possible 

coffee for our customers. As long as they love our coffee, we will be motivated to keep 

working hard to bring our wonderful Ugandan coffee to more coffee lovers worldwide.

8. How vibrant is the Investment space in Uganda for Startups. Do you have any 

insights to share with us as a community? 

One of the main challenges as an entrepreneur in Uganda and Africa is access to 

capital. As everyone knows, it’s hard to find and very expensive, should you be among the 

lucky ones who get access to funds.

Wild has so far been self-funded, so I don’t have much experience in the investment 

space. My main message is to capital holders, particularly in the global north:

Africa is the continent of the future. Do not miss out on this investment opportunity! 

Allocate more funds to this exciting continent. It is full of talented people who, with the help 

of your capital, can transform their ideas into great, profitable solutions for the continent 

and the world.

9.You mention that the industry is broken. What are you doing to fix it?

Also can you share some stats showing the opportunities that exist in the sector globally? 

The way Wild fixes the broken coffee industry is by doing all the value addition here 

in Uganda. As a Ugandan company with Ugandan staff. We have no headquarters abroad 

taking all the profits. No Wall Street owners. I encourage Uganda and other coffee-growing 

nations to support local entrepreneurs, to grow your own local coffee industry. Do not make 

the mistake of inviting foreign multinationals to come in and set up coffee factories here. 

That would be like selling your soul to the devil. We haven’t solved the problems of the 

coffee industry before the value is created and kept locally, here where the coffee grows.

10.How can readers who seek collaboration find you. Is it true that you have a 

business space in the city?

Yes, we used to be based on 7th Street in Industrial Area. We had invested a lot in 

our office space, as well as our flagship Wild Coffee Bar branch.

But when the roads in Industrial Area completely fell apart and we got potholes the 

size of Lake Victoria, we lost almost all our business. This nearly killed our company. 

We were forced to leave behind everything we had invested there. 

Now we are based in Muyenga, where we have a small coffee bar where people can 

come and enjoy a cup of wonderful coffee in our peaceful garden.

Readers who want to reach out may connect with me on LinkedIn. They are also 

welcome to pass by Wild Coffee Bar in Muyenga for a cup of coffee anytime.