Wine export to Africa: FAQ for wineries

By knowing who genuinely pays, who genuinely distributes, and who is simply passing through, which no database will tell you. Our Africa business sells into more than 20 African countries, our team has travelled to more than 30 across the continent, and we have worked with over 90 African importers. That history is the asset, because in most African markets the pool of reliable importers is smaller than producers imagine.

Ivory Coast, Kenya and Nigeria are our main markets. Ivory Coast recorded about USD 73 million of wine imports in 2025 (Ivorian customs), USD 94 million on exporters' figures, roughly double 2015. Kenya is the East African hub: USD 22 million of wine imports in 2025, with South Africa first and France second, and sparkling more than doubling since 2022. Nigeria received USD 63 million of wine from the main exporting countries in 2025 and was Africa's second-largest Champagne market in 2022.

Enough to change your entire pricing strategy. Customs duty (20%), community levies (2.5%), excise of 35 to 40% on an uplifted base and 18% VAT add up to roughly 110 to 117% of the CIF value: a bottle landed at EUR 5 costs about EUR 10.40 to 10.85 before any margin. Any producer approaching West Africa needs to model backwards from the shelf price rather than forwards from the ex-cellar price. We build that calculation before recommending which of your wines to present.

It is one of Africa's most active. Wine imports are stable at about USD 22 million a year, with sparkling the clear growth segment (USD 1.75 million in 2022, USD 4.07 million in 2025). South African wines dominate with 44% of value, France is second with 18%, then Italy and Spain. Kenya also hosts regular wine fairs in Nairobi and Mombasa, which makes physical presence productive.

Three things. Taxation is heavier and dictates the workable price point. A few importers control much of the trade, so choosing the right one matters more than anywhere else. And consumers buy on variety, packaging and story more than on appellation prestige. A wine that sells on its classification in Europe often needs a completely different argument in Abidjan or Nairobi.

Large integrated groups hold much of the mass segment, and South African producers have strong positions in the east and south. Independent producers win by being distinctive rather than cheapest, and by being genuinely present. That is the gap our Africa business is built for: representing producers who are too small to fund their own market presence but too good to be absent.

Expect six to twelve months of ground work between signing and a first confirmed order. African markets reward repeated physical presence, and importer trust is earned over several visits rather than several emails.

Yes. Each office operates under its own agreement, so you can engage our Africa business alone, our Asia-Pacific offices alone, or both. Many producers start with one region and extend once the first orders are moving.