People of Sucafina: Meet Max Veglio

1. Can you tell us about your journey into coffee, and what led you to your current role? 

I joined Sucafina in 2015 on the hedging desk in Geneva, which gave me a solid grounding in the market. I also had the chance to rotate through several East African origins – Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. That trip was a turning point: I fell in love with the region, its people and the potential of its coffee. 

I then spent five amazing years as Managing Director of Rwacof (Sucafina in Rwanda), before returning to Europe to lead two of our destination businesses (now Sucafina UK and Sucafina NV). This was an equally rewarding chapter, giving me the chance to work closely with specialty and commercial teams and serve clients across the UK, Europe and Middle East. 

At the end of 2024, I took on my current role as Managing Director of Ugacof, the largest coffee exporter in Africa. I’m delighted and honored to lead such a well-established business and build on the legacy of a team that has played such a central role in Uganda’s coffee story. 

2. What are the most valuable lessons you’ve learned from working at both origin and destination at Sucafina? 

Working at origin gave me an understanding of the realities of smallholder farmers. In Rwanda, for example, there are over 400,000 smallholders. Most have plots of just 0.1 hectares, low household incomes and limited access to resources and finance. Seeing those challenges first-hand has driven my passion for supporting farming communities in a meaningful way. 

Meanwhile, running trading businesses in Europe and the Middle East during a period of changing market dynamics and emerging market volatility reinforced the importance of agility and transparency. It also underscored how crucial it is to stay connected with our clients to make sure they receive the right coffee at the right time, every time. 

Now that I’m back at origin, it’s about combining those perspectives: building on Ugacof’s strong foundation and taking it further by improving efficiency and strengthening client and farmer relationships so everyone benefits.  

3. Ugacof celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024. What does this legacy mean to you, and what’s your vision for the future? 

It’s a huge milestone, and one that coincided with a record year for us, exporting over 1 million bags for the second time. That success reflects the dedication of our team here in Uganda. Many of our colleagues have been with Ugacof since the 1990s, and their commitment has built the business we’re so proud of today. 

Looking ahead, our goal is to keep evolving. We want Ugacof to remain a benchmark for quality, sustainability and innovation, while staying connected to both farmers and clients. 

4. What are you most excited to work on in your role?  

There are a few areas. First, it’s exciting that Uganda’s Robusta production is growing and farmers generally want to do more coffee. For real sustainability, this backdrop means we can scale up projects that address concrete farmer demand with more confidence. For example, providing access to subsidized, good-quality seedlings can boost yields, quality and long-term resilience for smallholders. That’s why we’re expanding our seedling nurseries. We are also making strong progress toward a scalable short-term farmer-financing model, which can help meet the huge unmet demand for affordable credit.

In parallel, despite a challenging market environment, I am really encouraged by the number of roasters who want to partner with us on building out the supply chain to address some farmer needs that go beyond compliance areas. Through IMPACT, our responsible sourcing program, we’re increasingly curating partnerships that respond directly to the issues farmers highlight – and this is a trend I want to accelerate. 

There’s also untapped potential in Uganda’s specialty sector. We’re currently working on a project to bring more high-quality Ugandan coffees to our clients. It’s an area where we can create real value at origin. 

Lastly, I’m passionate about developing our own in-house talent. For any manager, a true marker of success is the ability to spot and invest in potential, and for me that means helping local talent grow into meaningful roles at Ugacof and across the Group. Watch this space! 😊 

5. What inspires you? 

Our people, first and foremost. The Ugacof team is made up of passionate, dedicated professionals who make things happen every day, and we have a lot of fun doing it! On a personal note, my little family inspire me. Persistent and they never give up! 

6. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a coffee trader today? 

Be curious, persistent, balance detail with getting things done. Learn as much as you can about every part of the value chain, from smallholder production and quality to logistics and risk management. Those fundamentals are the backbone of good trading. 

Most importantly, you need to have a passion for coffee. The people who thrive in this industry care deeply about what they do and the relationships they build along the way. 

Quick-fire questions 

What’s your favorite way of drinking coffee? 

I start every morning with a filter coffee, brewed in the office Moccamaster. When I’m traveling, I always take my trusty AeroPress. 

Morning person or night owl? 

A forced morning person, but coffee helps! 

What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you? 

That I fully ruptured my Achilles tendon a year ago. It's been a long journey back to walking and now running. As well as discovering all kinds of random dormant muscles during the recovery, I've realized I took a lot for granted prior to the injury.  

The setback (in the big picture, a relatively small one) has become a motivator and I am now training for the 2026 London Marathon to support Children with Cancer UK alongside a band of coffee professionals. For anyone interested in the cause, our fundraising page is here: https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/team-coffee