Central Mountain area of Nyeri, a coffee farm in Kenya

Coffee growing area in Kenya

The coffee producing areas in Kenya are mainly concentrated in Mount Kenya (Mt. The plateau region represented by Kenya). Tropical climate, acid red volcanic soil provides a natural and suitable growth environment for coffee. The main producing areas are Nyeri and Ruiru in the middle of the country.

Kenyan coffee varieties

Bourbon Bourbon was first brought to Kenya for planting. In the 1950s, the then agricultural research institution Scott Laboratory selected two excellent hybrids, SL-28 and SL-34, through unremitting efforts, subverting the long-standing prejudice of artificial breeding without excellent natural varieties. SL-28 and SL-34 help Kenyan coffee to form its own unique flavor characteristics and establish a perfect reputation in the coffee industry.

Like the choice of other coffee producing countries, although SL-28 and SL-34 have stood the test of time and cultivated generation after generation of faithful pumps for Kenyan coffee, the Kenyan government and the Coffee Research Institute (Coffee Research Foundation) have begun to promote a new variety, Ruiri 11, for the sake of coffee yield and disease resistance. The promoters assure coffee lovers that the new variety still has the classic flavor of Kenyan coffee. However, the continuous efforts have not won the recognition of coffee gluttons, who agree that the new varieties lack taste and that the future of Ruiru11 remains to be seen.

In addition to the prestigious traditional Arabica coffee, robusta coffee is also produced in the western lowlands of Kenya.

Coffee cultivation in Kenya

Mainly by large farms (Estate) and cooperatives (Cooperatives) two types. The former generally has a large planting area and has independent coffee processing facilities. Most coffee production is done by a large number of small farmers, who form coffee cooperatives. The Coffee Cooperative Society employs special managers to supervise the coffee processing of its members, even to the point of managing each coffee tree.

Compared with shading planting in many high-quality producing areas, Kenyan coffee is obviously more spicy and unrestrained, and shade trees are not common. In addition, Kenyan coffee rarely participates in certification, variety and environmental factors make the use of pesticides necessary, and organic certification, which is popular in other countries, becomes rare in Kenya.

Coffee related institutions in Kenya

KCPTA: Kenya Federation of Coffee producers and traders, Kenya Coffee Producers and Traders Association

CRF: Kenya Coffee Research Institute, Coffee Research Foundation

KCB: Kenya Coffee Exchange, Kenya Coffee Board

KCTA: Kenyan Federation of Coffee traders, Kenya Coffee Traders Association