Kenyan coffee beans | History of Kenyan coffee the Kenyan coffee market

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Kenyan Coffee History and Market

Despite its proximity to Ethiopia, coffee cultivation did not begin until the end of the 19th century, with some sources suggesting that it was a Roman Catholic priest (Father Holy Spirit), while others believed that coffee was introduced into Kenya through British colonists.

Kenyan coffee auctions were originally managed by dealers in London, meaning farmers had to wait six months before they could get the money. The fact that coffee is dried in London further consumes their returns.

In 1926, in order to represent the interests of coffee farmers, the Coffee growers Union was established, which actually led to the establishment of cooperatives and marketing systems, and producers had a voice for the first time. In 1931, the United States established the first Kenyan-based auction system, but it was not until 1937 that the status of traders in London declined. This year, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange opened under the control of the Kenya Coffee Commission (KPCU).

Since KPCU opened the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, the auction system has been the main window for the sale of Kenyan coffee. Compared with other coffee producing areas, the price of this system is relatively high. Given the dominance of the system, professional buyers have become accustomed to buying coffee from coffee auctions in Kenya and then promoting their products in Kenya through cooperatives / washing stations. This means that in Kenya, coffee purchases are more "spot purchases" made by importers and exporters at auctions than relationships.

Aligning buyers with specific co-ops has proved both challenging and frustrating because of corruption, mismanagement and quality fluctuations. Over the past few years, CCS has been exploring procurement at the real estate level, with some farmers even organizing themselves into "micro-cooperatives" (±10 farmers) as a means of building real partnerships with buyers more firmly.

We hope to be able to provide our barbecues with more consistent partners of the same quality than in Kenya, as we have in other origins, and have seen some success in a small real estate farmer: the owner of John Njoroge Kiambu and Kiriani Manor, who has produced huge coffee to us since 2014.