French wine company Saint-Émilion has set out plans to expand its activities in Cameroon, amid a sharp acceleration in the nation’s wine import demand. During a recent meeting with Prime Minister Joseph Dion Ngute, Franck Binard, Managing director of the Saint-Émilion Wine Council, outlined a series of priority projects tied to the company’s growth in the country.
Binard told the Prime Minister that the group’s projects are centred on Cameroon’s cultural heritage. He said the strategy involves promoting pairings between local dishes and Saint-Émilion wines.
“We want to ensure that through highlighting food and wine pairings, we can showcase both the richness of Cameroonian cuisine and Saint-Émilion wines, and show just how well the two complement each other,” he said. Training for waiters, sommeliers and national wine professionals was also identified as a priority strand of the plan.
The visit builds on a foothold Saint-Émilion established in April 2025, when the group opened a representation office in Yaounde, known as the Jurade. Its management was entrusted to Ama Tutu Muna, Cameroon’s former Minister of Arts and Culture, who also attended the audience. She said Binard’s visit was aimed in part at strengthening the office’s activity, with drafting the regulatory texts governing its operation flagged as an urgent priority.
Import demand at multi-year highs
The expansion drive comes as Cameroon’s wine import demand accelerates sharply. Wine imports rose 37.3% in volume and 31.4% in value year-on-year in 2025, according to data from Cameroon’s National Institute of Statistics (INS), as reported by Business in Cameroon. France has long dominated supply. Trade Data Monitor figures show France accounted for 71.03% of Cameroon’s wine imports in 2022, with Spain and Belgium following at 13.5% and 9.2% respectively, though Italian wine imports rose by more than 75% that same year, narrowing France’s lead.
The growth in demand coincides with a tightening tax regime. Cameroon’s government raised excise duties on wine and spirits under its 2026 Finance Law, lifting the duty on a standard 75cl bottle of imported wine from CFA300 ($0.49) to CFA750 ($1.22), a 150% increase, while locally produced wine faces a smaller 66.6% rise. Cameroon imported 11,206 tons of wines and liqueurs worth CFA22.3bn ($36.3m) in 2023, a 14.3% increase on the previous year, according to Trendtype Africa and Middle East. Officials have said the increases are designed to maximize revenue from premium consumption while incentivizing local production.
Domestically, Cameroon’s wine market is supplied mainly by imports from France, Spain, Belgium and Italy, with local production standing at just under 100,000 hectoliters, over half of it from SOFAVINC (Société de Fabrication des Vins du Cameroun).
Mercy Fosoh
Dining and Cooking