Coffee industry of Kenya

Kenya is the 17th largest producer of coffee in the world. The coffee industry of Kenya is noted for its cooperative system of milling, marketing, and auctioning coffee, and for its high percentage of production from small farms. 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, Kisii, Nyanza, Bungoma, Nakuru and Kericho. The high plateaus of Mount Kenya, plus the acidic soil provide excellent conditions for growing coffee plants. Coffee from Kenya is well known for its intense flavor, full body, and pleasant aroma.

History

Despite its proximity to Ethiopia (widely believed to be the region from which coffee originated), coffee was not cultivated in Kenya until 1893, when French Holy Ghost Fathers introduced coffee trees from Reunion Island. The mission farms near Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, were used as the nucleus around which Kenyan coffee growing developed.

creen 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 60Kg, but the bids are made per 50Kg bag.

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

* AA - $153.90 * AB - $114.21C - $ 97.29 * PB - $ 120.00T - $ 83.79 * TT - $111.83 * UG1 -$91.50 * UG2 -$82.90 * UG3- $71.50 [kenya coffee]

ee also

*Sasini Tea and Coffee

References

* International Coffee Organization - Exports by Exporting Countries, [http://www.ico.org/prices/m1.htm] . Accessed on 14 June 2006.
* Overview of the Kenyan coffee industry, [http://www.sweetmarias.com/kenya_writeup_royal.pdf] . Accessed on 14 June 2006.
*Kenya coffee, [http://www.my-kenya-guide.com/kenya-coffee.html]

see also Mbataru, Patrick,(2005), " Strategies of actors after adjustment of a chain: the case of coffee farmers in Nyeri, Kenya ". master deseartation of the University of Toulouse, le Mirail, France.