Why expensive Kenyan coffee this

The surge in the popularity of African beans has helped revive the industry.

An African legend says that coffee beans were discovered by a goat shepherd named Caldi while wandering around the Kafa region of Ethiopia around 850 AD.

True or not, African coffee beans once dominated the world market, before production fell sharply over the past 30 years due to increased global competition. But interest in the flavor characteristics of beans on the African continent could boost production, according to a report by Bloomberg.

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At the peak of the coffee boom in 1975, four of the top 10 coffee-producing countries were African, according to Bloomberg. Since then, production has declined steadily as other countries began to produce Robota beans, which are known for their lower costs.

In the global competition to supply beans to supermarkets, coffee groups and other international companies, relatively low-yield varieties of African beans have been overturned to support varieties grown in Brazil, Vietnam and other countries. these varieties can produce more coffee at cheaper prices.

As a result, agricultural coffee is less and less profitable in African countries, which are facing rapid urbanization and the farmland itself has become more valuable.

Today, this once-huge industry accounts for only 12% of the world's coffee production.

But the third wave of coffee is reviving in the face of mass production of ready-to-eat coffee, Starbucks lattes and the widespread homogenization of the coffee industry around cheaper Arabica mixtures.

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This is good news for African coffee producers, who are more difficult to produce soybeans and tend to be more expensive on the market because of their complex tastes in Africa's unique climate.

Coffee importer Karl Weyrauch told Bloomberg that the new interest is not only in African countries, which are traditionally famous for coffee, but also in new countries, because beans offer different flavors.

"Westerners have known about Ethiopian beans for a long time, but now we see more beans from Burundi, Uganda and Rwanda in Congo, Kenya and even beans," Weyrauch said. "African beans also seem exotic to some coffee drinkers. Aroused their curiosity. "

Satisfying this curiosity will certainly lead to higher prices for consumers. Monmouth Coffee is a British coffee importer specializing in high-quality and rare beans, which are supplied from Karimikui roasters in Kenya at twice the average supermarket price.

However, higher prices mean more money flowing into the country, as well as more local jobs. The dealer's newsletter claims that the baking station employs more than 3500 Kenyans.

Climate change puts Ethiopian coffee at risk

Another benefit of smaller production quantities in Africa is that dealers who do business with them can participate in direct trade practices and establish a direct relationship between buyers and sellers to ensure an ethical labour force.

Considering that its delicacy matches the positive influence of its country of origin, expensive African coffee may be worth it.

Many people can't imagine life without it, including Julien Ochala, a five-year customer at Monmouth Coffee.

"I like it because of its relatively high level of acidity. It keeps me active in the afternoon, "he told Bloomberg." I drink Kenyan coffee every morning. "