09/10/2026
“I underestimated how ready we were.”
At her first international trade fair, Cynthia Umutoniwabo, Co-Founder and CEO of Loopa Ltd, had the chance to speak directly with potential buyers.
“We had the products, but the gap was being able to connect directly with potential buyers. Meeting them here has been exciting,” she says.
This week, 11 Rwandan women-led businesses showcased fresh avocados, chillies, French beans and passion fruits at Fruit Attraction in Madrid.
For Cynthia, the conversations sparked new ideas about pricing and which products to offer together:
“I was surprised by the interest in habaneros from Canadian buyers. It got me thinking about how we could sell a mix of products, with better margins on one helping to compensate for lower margins on another.”
Rwanda’s Ambassador to Spain, H.E. Christine Nkulikiyinka, visited the stand on the opening day and met the exhibitors.
This initiative is co-implemented by TradeMark Africa and ITC in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and PSF (Specialized Cluster), host of the SheTrades Hub, and in collaboration with the Rwanda Development Board and National Agricultural Export Development Board.