The coffee industry of Kenya is noted for its

cooperative A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-contro ...

system of production, processing, milling, marketing, and auction system. About 70% of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

n coffee is produced by small- scale holders. It was estimated in 2012 that there were about 150,000 coffee farmers in Kenya and other estimates are that six million Kenyans were employed directly or indirectly in the

coffee industry Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. Seeds of th ...

. The major coffee-growing regions in Kenya are the high plateaus around

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, the

Aberdare Range The Aberdare Range (formerly the Sattima Range, Kikuyu: ''Nyandarua'') is a 160 km (100 mile) long mountain range of upland, north of Kenya's capital Nairobi with an average elevation of . It straddles across the counties of Nyandarua, Nye ...

Kisii Kisii may refer to: * Kisii, Kenya, the inaugural capital city of Kenya * Kisii County, one of the 47 counties of Kenya * Gucha District, in Kenya, also known as ''South Kisii District'' * Nyamira District, in Kenya, also known as ''North Kisii Di ...

, Nyanza,

Bungoma Bungoma is the county town of Bungoma County in Kenya. It was established as a trading centre in the early 20th century. Naming Bungoma, was named from eng'oma—the Bukusu word for drums. The town was originally a meeting place for Bukusu ...

Nakuru Nakuru is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and was formerly the capital of Rift Valley Province. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban and rural population of 570,674 inhabitants, making it the largest ...

Kericho Kericho is the biggest town in Kericho County located in the highlands west of the Kenyan Rift Valley. Standing on the edge of the Mau Forest, Kericho has a warm and temperate climate making it an ideal location for agriculture and in partic ...

and to a smaller scale in

Machakos Machakos, also called Masaku is a town in Kenya, southeast of Nairobi. It is the capital of the Machakos County, Kenya. Its population is rapidly growing and was 150,041 as of 2009 and Machakos County had a population of 1,421,932 as of 201 ...

and Taita hills in Eastern and coast provinces respectively. .Adams, Tim (17 February 2013
Andrew Rugasira: can coffee transform lives in Africa
The Guardian, Retrieved 28 August 2013 The acidic soil in highlands of central Kenya, just the right amount of sunlight and rainfall provide excellent conditions for growing coffee plants. Coffee from Kenya is of the 'Colombia mild' type, and is well known for its intense flavor, full body, and pleasant aroma with notes of cocoa and high grade coffee from Kenya is one of the most sought-after coffees in the world.Howden, Daniel (9 February 2012

The Independent, Retrieved 27 August 2013 However, due to a property boom in areas that grew coffee and price instability, production in this

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country fell from about 130,000 metric tons in 1987/8 to 40,000 tons in 2011/12.K'Oroth, Sylvester (3 July 2013
Policy failure and inadequate technical capacity hurting Kenya’s coffee industry
The Business Daily, Retrieved 27 August 2013

History

Despite its proximity to

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(widely believed to be the region from which coffee originated), one source states that coffee was not cultivated in Kenya until 1893, when French

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introduced coffee trees from

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. The mission farms near

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ...

, the capital city of Kenya, were used as the nucleus around which Kenyan coffee growing developed.Kennedy, Patrick (June 200
Royal News June 2005 - Kenya Coffee
Sweet Marias, Retrieved 28 August 2013 Overview of the Kenyan coffee industry Another reference claims the British introduced coffee growing into Kenya about 1900.Davids, Kenneth (2001
Coffees from Africa and Arabia: Kenya
Coffee Review, Retrieved 27 August 2013 In 1933 the Coffee Act was passed, establishing the Kenyan Coffee Board and moving the sale of coffee back to Kenya. In the early 1950's, an agricultural act was passed to create family holdings that combined subsistence farming with the production of cash crops for additional income. This act was known as the Swynnerton Plan.

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 Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

. It is based at The Wakulima House, 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 50 kg bag) at the auction. * AA - $377.20 * AB - $317.42 * C - $239.19 * PB - $308.93 * T - $183.70 * TT - $252.51 * UG1 -$198.06 * UG2 -$104.81 * UG3- $116.63

Notable coffee estates, cooperatives and factories

MAGUTA COFFEE ESTATE
- Nyeri, Muruguru (Specialty Organic Coffee & origin trips) * Gikanda Cooperative Society — Gichathaini, Kangocho and

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Factories (Mathira, Nyeri) * Kirimiri (Thika) *Kibirigwi Farmers Cooperative Society (kirinyaga) * New Gikaru (Nyeri-Mukurwe-ini) * Tekangu Cooperative Society — Tegu, Karogoto and Ngunguru Factories (Mathira, Nyeri) * Thiriku Farmers Co-op Society (Thingingi Area, Nyeri)
Mutheka Farmers Co-operative Society

Chorong'i Coffee Factory (Nyeri)
,
Kigwandi Coffee Factory (Nyeri)Kihuyo Coffee Factory (Nyeri)

Muthuaini Coffee Factory (Nyeri)

Kamuyu Coffee Factory (Nyeri)

Kaihuri Coffee Factory (Nyeri)
* Iyego Farmers Cooperative Society - Main, Mununga, Gatubu, Marimira, Gitura, Kirangano, Watuha (Murang'a) ·Karunguru coffee estate (Juja Kenya) *Othaya Co-operative Society (Othaya, Nyeri) *Rung'eto Farmers Co-operative Society - Kii, Karimikui and Kiangoi Factories (Kirinyaga County, Ngariama ward) *Baragwi Farmers Co-operative Society - Karumandi, Kianyaga, Gachame Factories
Meru Central Coffee Coopararive Union
- along Meru-Embu Highway

Notes

7. Hyde, David. ‘Paying for the Emergency by displacing the settlers’: global coffee and rural restructuring in late colonial Kenya. Journal of Global History Volume 4 Number 1 2009. 8. Hyde, David. Coffee and Decolonisation in Kenya: Overproduction, Quotas and Rural Restructuring. Commodities of Empire Working Paper Number 8, July 2008. https://commoditiesofempire.org.uk/publications/working-papers/working-paper-8/ ommodities of Empire is a British Academy Research Project, based at the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Modern and Contemporary History

External links

* International Coffee Organization
Exports by Exporting Countries

Overview of the Kenyan coffee industry
{{Coffee production Economy of Kenya Agriculture in Kenya

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History

Screen size

Notable coffee estates, cooperatives and factories

See also

Notes

External links