When Kihara Victor joined Sucafina as an intern in 2018, he expected it to be a stepping stone into banking. Instead, coffee opened the door to a career spanning data analysis, finance, project management and trading. Now Trading Manager at Cotacof, Kihara reflects on the experiences that have shaped his journey, the value of working across different teams and countries and the leadership lessons he's learned.
1. You've built your career at Sucafina since joining as an intern in 2018. Can you tell us a bit about your journey.
2018 feels like just the other day! I joined Sucafina as an intern, intending to gain experience before moving into banking. I wanted to own my first suit! Six months in, after rotating through different departments, I'd gone from a tea lover to a coffee lover.
My journey since then has taken me from data analysis to finance, to project management with our partner, Kahawatu Foundation, rolling out our farmer traceability system in Rwanda. After five hands-on years in Rwanda, I joined the trading desk in Geneva, where I spent most of my time listening and learning. That year was phenomenal: I gained a much deeper understanding of trade and grew a lot as a person, and the team made Geneva feel like home.
Eventually, I returned to origin as Commercial Manager, and I'm now Trading Manager at Cotacof (Sucafina’s sister company in Tanzania). You don't get opportunities like this just anywhere, and I'm grateful for having managers who see potential in people and invest in helping them grow.
2. What are your main responsibilities as Trading Manager at Cotacof, and what excites you most about the role?
I oversee the trade book, both Arabica and Robusta procurement and sales, as well as managing suppliers, clients and the third-party mills we work with. This comes with managing risk and ensuring quality across the coffee we handle, which I do by leading our procurement and quality teams, who are really at the heart of Cotacof.
What excites me most about this role is how human it is. We're not just buying at an auction; we get to meet our suppliers, negotiate directly, visit their farms and washing stations and see firsthand how our partnerships create value for them. That's an incredible feeling.
3. You’ve moved to various offices, across different countries. What's it like joining a new team and adapting to a new environment?
Invigorating, honestly. Joining a new team comes with mixed emotions; you wonder if you'll fit in. But at Sucafina, I've mostly worried about whether they'd fit in with me, since I tend to bring a lot of energy! Every office I've joined has matched that energy and made it easy to settle into the culture.
I've built friendships with people 20 or 30 years older than me, learned so much from them and genuinely enjoyed working alongside them. Experiencing the cultures and beliefs in different countries firsthand broadens your perspective and changes how you approach work and life.
4. You’re a graduate of the Spark Program (Sucafina’s three-year career development program). How did the experience shape your approach to leadership?
The Spark Program really shaped the kind of manager I am today. Alongside managers from across Sucafina, I learned about different leadership styles, what to prioritize, strategic thinking and effective communication. My biggest takeaway was the importance of delegation and adapting your approach to different teams.
Having grown from an intern to a manager, I strongly believe in investing in the people you manage.
5. Looking back on your career so far, what are you most proud of?
One moment I'm especially proud of is rolling out our farmer traceability system in Rwanda early in my career. Seeing a project I helped build deliver tangible benefits for farmers on the ground was incredibly rewarding. More broadly, I'm proud of the journey itself: growing from an intern into someone trusted to manage an entire origin's trade book. That growth and the trust that came with it means a lot to me.
6. What advice would you give to someone starting out in coffee?
Be curious and stay humble. Coffee is as much a people business as a commodity business; take every opportunity to learn from the people around you, whether that's a farmer, a cooperative manager or a colleague who's been doing this for decades. Say yes to rotations and experiences outside your comfort zone; some of my biggest growth came from roles I didn't initially expect to enjoy. And don't rush the journey. Relationships and expertise in this industry are built over years, not months.
Want to learn more about our Tanzania supply chain? Reach out to your trader to explore our current offering, or read our latest Tanzania harvest update for insights into this season's crop, market outlook and key trends.