Cooperative societies and estates, which traded their coffee at Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) during the 2024/2025 season, earned a total of Ksh35.6 billion.

According to the NCE report on the previous coffee season, 673, 844 bags of coffee sold in the auction. The amount realised this year shot up as compared to Ksh25.5 billion which was earned in 2023/2024 coffee year after 693,610 bags were traded.

Various stakeholders have attributed the increased earnings to production of coffee of premium qualities which attracted international buyers.

NCE Chief Executive Officer Lisper Ndung’u observed that farmers allied to various cooperative societies increased production of coffee of quality grades thus attracting better prices. She encouraged the farmers to work on production of premium quality coffee and to continue marketing their coffee through the Nairobi Auction for the competitive prices.

“Coffee dealers who buy the produce at the auction are interested in grade AA, AB and C. The growers should put more effort in the production of the quality grades, highly sought in the market,” said Ms Ndung’u.

In the season that ended on September 30, the NCE records show that 143,354 bags of grade AA followed and 243,654 bags of grade AB were sold at the auction for Ksh8.4 billion and Ksh13.8 billion respectively.

The NCE report dated October 8 further stated that 15 coffee brokers participated in the weekly auctions where the Alliance Berries Limited traded the highest volume of 247,166 bags that fetched Ksh13.2 billion followed by Kirinyaga Slopes Company with 96,404 bags earning Ksh5.2 billion and New KPCU netted Ksh4.8 billion after selling 92,909 bags.

Others were KCCE 58,087 bags (Ksh3.1 billion), Minnesota 48,212 bags (Ksh2.4 billion), Meru 21,683 bags (Ksh1.1 billion), CEBBA 19,398 bags (Ksh1 billion), Murang’a Farmers Union 8,488 bags (Ksh444.6 million).

On the other hand, coffee buyers who were actively engaged in the auction during the season included Ibero Kenya ltd, which purchased 179,110 bags at Ksh9.3 billion, C- Dorman bought 114,920 bags at Ksh6.7 billion, Louis Dreyfus got 95,580 bags at Ksh4.7 billion, Kenyacof 60,306 bags at Ksh4.1 billion.

Dealers that bought the least bags are Mawingu Exporters and Waziri Coffee, who each bought five bags of coffee for Ksh175, 716, and Ksh205, 632 respectively.

A coffee value chain expert Henry Kinyua, said during the year coffee market experienced significant shifts in coffee grades distribution between the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 seasons, reflecting notable improvements in overall coffee quality.

“In the year under review premium grade AA coffee increased substantially to 25 per cent from the previous 19 per cent of the total sales. Grade AB in the year rose to 37 per cent from five per cent,” said Kinyua.

A Murang’a coffee farmer Peter Gikonyo said that there was a need for the government to accelerate provision of subsidized fertilizer to coffee farmers in efforts to increase production.

“The government is duty bound to increase distribution of subsidised fertiliser in the coffee growing zones thus to help farmers increase production and quality of coffee,” he remarked.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Bernard Munyao