The coffee industry of Kenya is noted for its cooperative system of production, processing, milling, marketing, and auctioning coffee. About 70% of Kenyan coffee is produced by small scale holders. It is estimated that six-million Kenyans are employed directly or indirectly in the coffee industry. The major coffee growing regions in Kenya are the High Plateaus around Mt. Kenya, the Aberdare Range

Aberdare Range

The Aberdare Range is a 160 km long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It is located in west central Kenya, northeast of Naivasha and Gilgil and just south of the Equator...

, Kisii

Kisii District

Kisii District is a district in the Nyanza Province in southwestern Kenya. Its capital town is Kisii. The district is inhabited mostly by the Gusii people.- Subdivisions :The County has 4 electoral Constituencies:*Bonchari Constituency...

, Nyanza

Nyanza

Nyanza may refer to:*Nyanza, Rwanda**Nyanza District, the district surrounding Nyanza, Rwanda*Nyanza Province, Kenya*Nyanza Lac, Burundi*Nyanza, the Bantu word for lake, in particular:**Lake Albert **Lake Edward...

, Bungoma

Bungoma

Bungoma is a town in Western Province of Kenya, bordered by Uganda in the west. Bungoma town was established as a trading centre in the early 20th century. The town is the headquarters of Kenya's Bungoma District and it hosts a municipal council...

, Nakuru

Nakuru

Nakuru, the provincial capital of Kenya's Rift Valley province, with roughly 300,000 inhabitants, and currently the fourth largest urban centre in the country, lies about 1850 m above sea level...

 and Kericho

Kericho

Kericho is a Kenyan County located to the South West of the country and lies within the highlands west of The Great Rift Valley. The capital of the district is Kericho town. The district home to the best of Kenyan Tea which is world famous for its brightness, attractive color, brisk flavor and...

. The high plateaus of Mount Kenya, plus the acidic soil provide excellent conditions for growing coffee plants. Coffee from Kenya is of the 'mild arabica' type and is well known for its intense flavor, full body, and pleasant aroma. Since 1989, production in this East African country fell from about 130,000 thousand metric tons to 50,000 tons in 2009.

History

Despite its proximity to Ethiopia

Ethiopia

Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...

 (widely believed to be the region from which coffee originated), coffee was not cultivated in Kenya until 1893, when French Holy Ghost Fathers

Holy Ghost Fathers

The Congregation of the Holy Spirit is a Roman Catholic congregation of priests, lay brothers, and since Vatican II, lay associates...

 introduced coffee trees from Reunion Island. The mission farms near Nairobi

Nairobi

Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

, the capital city of Kenya, were used as the nucleus around which Kenyan coffee growing developed.

Screen Size

While it may be widely known as a type of Kenya coffee, Kenya AA is actually a classification of coffee grown in Kenya. All Kenyan coffee is graded after it is milled. Grades are assigned based on the screen size of the bean. Beans with a screen size of 17 or 18 (17/64 or 18/64 of an inch) are assigned the grade AA, generally the largest bean. While the large bean size is considered by many to be a sign of quality, it is important to note that it is only one of many factors in determining high quality coffee.

Kenya Coffee is traded once a week at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. It is based at The Coffee Plaza, Exchange Lane which is off Haile Selassie Avenue.

The coffee is packed in single sisal bags of 60 kg, but the bids are made per 50 kg bag.

Below is a sample of average prices of coffee (per 60 kg bag) at the auction.

• AA - $153.90
• AB - $114.21
• C - $97.29
• PB - $120.00
• T - $83.79
• TT - $111.83
• UG1 -$91.50
• UG2 -$82.90
• UG3- $71.50

Notable coffee estates, cooperatives and factories

• Gikanda Cooperative Society — Gichathaini, Kangocho and Ndaroini Factories (Mathira, Nyeri)
• Kirimiri (Thika)
• Tekangu Cooperative Society — Tegu, Karogoto and Ngunguru Factories (Mathira, Nyeri)
• Thiriku Farmers Co-op Society (Thingingi Area, Nyeri)

External links

• Coffee Board of Kenya