Agencies in fresh plan to market Kenyan coffee

AFA director general Bruno Linyiru and Keproba CEO Floice Mukabana during the signing of the partnership to coordinate Kenya's marketing efforts for coffee. [Courtesy]

Two State agencies have partnered in a new initiative that is expected to enhance marketing of Kenyan coffee locally and abroad..

The Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (Keproba) and the Coffee Directorate, which operates under the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), have developed the new partnership that will see both institutions coordinate Kenya's marketing efforts in emerging and established coffee markets.

The two institutions have been actively working together in implementing trade promotion initiatives to expand and diversify Kenya's coffee exports into key export markets.

Kenyan coffee exports have seen variations since 2016 largely due to reduced productivity.

This decline is linked to shrinking land meant to grow coffee coupled with rising production costs, unpredictable coffee prices and inconsistent weather patterns.

Additionally, 97 per cent of Kenya's coffee is usually exported as raw green beans. With the country heavily depending on traditional markets, this has led to a decrease in revenue.

However, despite facing these challenges, the Kenyan coffee sector has shown signs of growth in recent years. Factors such as increased coffee production, from 34,511 metric tonnes in 202/21 to 51,853 metric tonnes in 2021/2022, have led to this upward trajectory.

Others factors for the growth include increased direct sales to international buyers and reduced reliance on traditional markets while keeping an eye on new markets such as Korea and Japan.

"This collaboration aligns our goals with Keproba's export promotion efforts to tackle key challenges related to capacity building, broadening Kenya's export range, product development and market access," said Keproba CEO Floice Mukabana.

The pact will equip local coffee producers with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to succeed in the global market."

AFA director general Bruno Linyiru noted that with the agreement in place, the teams will implement a coordinated approach towards marketing Kenyan coffee locally and internationally.

"Apart from promoting Kenyan coffee internationally, we need to encourage local consumption," he said.

"Looking at leading coffee producing countries such as Ethiopia and Columbia, drinking coffee is part of the local culture."