How coffee is grown in Kenya
Kenya's place in the global coffee industry
Kenya ranks approximately 15th-17th in the world in terms of coffee production. In different years, the country produces about 700-800 thousand bags of 60 kg. This is several times less than that of neighboring Ethiopia, and is incomparable, for example, with Brazil.
Almost all Kenyan coffee is Arabica. Robusta is practically not grown in the country. At the same time, Kenya is considered one of the main suppliers of special beans to the world market.
Coffee is not a key sector of the country's economy. Tea, agriculture in general and tourism play a more important role. Therefore, coffee production in Kenya remains relatively small and is in no hurry to scale.
Natural conditions and coffee regions
Coffee in Kenya is grown mainly on high plateaus around Mount Kenya and the Aberdare range. In smaller volumes — in Machakos and Tay. The main coffee areas are located at an altitude of 1400 to 2000 m above sea level.
It is coffee from the central regions that is associated with the classic Kenyan profile — bright, acidic and clean
The main coffee regions of Kenya:
Kirinyaga,
Nyeri,
Muranga,
Kiambu,
Embu,
Nyanza,
parts of the Rift Valley.
The soils in these regions are deep, loamy, rich in iron and phosphorous compounds. It is with this that the characteristic "sparkling" acidity of Kenyan coffee is often associated, which is described as a slight tingling and creaking on the teeth — like cola. Kenya is located on the equator, so there are two rainy seasons: from April to June and from September to December. Accordingly, there are two harvests in the country — the main one and the so-called fly crop. Seasonality allows you to maintain a stable supply of coffee throughout the year.
Production structure
The Kenyan coffee industry is almost entirely based on small-scale farming. About 95% of coffee is grown by farmers with plots of about 0.2 hectares on average. There is little free land in the country, it is expensive, so it is almost impossible to expand the area.
Small farmers, typically, do not have their own processing stations. Therefore, they unite in cooperatives and hand over berries to common stations.
One farmer can be in several cooperatives at once and distribute the harvest between them — depending on conditions and prices
Large farms make up no more than 5% of the total number of producers. Usually they have their own processing stations, but in the industry it is believed that coffee from such farms is less stable in quality due to the mass collection of berries.
The role of the State and regulation
Kenya's coffee market is tightly regulated by the state. The legislation clearly defines who has the right to buy berries, process coffee, sell it and export it.
Farmers and cooperatives cannot trade freely among themselves: for example, a farm with its own station does not have the right to buy berries from other producers. This is done to protect small farmers and prevent market concentration.
Every movement of coffee — from the berry to the export bag — is documented. Such a system allows you to maintain traceability and reduces the risk of quality manipulation.
Genetics and varieties
One of the key reasons for Kenya's reputation is the selected varieties of coffee. The country mainly grows SL28 and SL34, bred in the 1930s at Scott Laboratories. The first comes from Bourbon, the second from typica.
Both varieties are well adapted to the conditions of Kenya, resistant to drought and yield crops for decades, but at the same time susceptible to diseases of coffee trees. They are appreciated primarily for their taste — bright, complex and very recognizable.
Growing only varieties of SL is a big risk for farmers. Often the entire crop dies due to epidemics of coffee diseases
In addition to the SL-group, hybrids ruiru 11 and batian are grown in Kenya. They are more resistant to diseases and cheaper to care for, but so far they are inferior to SL28 and SL34 in terms of taste potential. Therefore, the specialty segment is still dominated by classic varieties.
Cultivation practices
Coffee in Kenya is grown mainly in traditional agricultural systems. Fertilizers and plant protection products are used to a limited extent, largely due to the high cost.
Harvesting in Kenya takes place twice a year. The main harvest is harvested from October to December, additional — from April to June. Collection is done manually.
After harvesting, the berries should be delivered to the processing station as soon as possible. Otherwise, the quality drops quickly. Therefore, the geography of cooperatives and processing stations directly affects the style and purity of coffee. At the stations, berries undergo strict acceptance: unripe and overripe are weeded out immediately. They are returned to the farmer, and he either processes the berries himself or sells them to the domestic market.
Such a system stimulates selective harvesting and directly affects the quality of the final beans.
Coffee processing
Almost all coffee in Kenya is processed in a washed way. Natural processing and funky are extremely rare and occupy a niche market share.
The classic Kenyan scheme includes depulpation, dry fermentation, washing and drying. In many cases, the so-called double fermentation is used: after primary fermentation and washing, the batch is soaked in clean water for 12-24 hours.
For Kenyan producers, soaking is more of a process management and quality equalization tool than a way to radically change the taste
Drying, pre-export preparation and classification
Coffee drying takes place on African beds. The process is divided into two stages: fast drying to a humidity of about 25% and long—term - up to 11-11.5%. If the coffee is over-dried or under-dried, it will not be accepted to the processing station.
Coffee is dried on African beds only in the morning or evening. During the day, coffee is covered so that the strong sun does not damage the foundation
After drying, the coffee is sent for hulling, sorting by size and density, and then for final preparation for export.
Kenyan coffee is classified by bean size. The largest coffee gets class E (from the word elephant — "elephant"), the second—largest coffee with a screen of 17-18 gets class AA - this class is the most popular among beans for export. In addition, there are classes AB, A, C, PB (piberry) and others that no longer export.
The size of the bean is not a direct indicator of quality, but affects the density, acidity and the choice of roasting profile. In different seasons, the ratio of grades can change significantly, which directly affects prices.
Auction system and export
About 80% of Kenyan coffee is sold through auction at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. This is one of the most transparent and well-established green coffee trading systems in the world.
Exporters receive samples of all lots in advance, cap them and participate in the auction. The auction focuses the market on taste, not on the reputation of the producer: at the bidding stage, information about the farm is encrypted.
The process of selling and exporting coffee in Kenya is strictly regulated by the government of the country
After the sale, the money is paid to cooperatives, and they distribute it among farmers. On average, farmers receive about 90% of the cooperative's net profit, which makes the system profitable for producers, but limits investment in infrastructure upgrades.
Challenges and changes
The main problems of the Kenyan coffee industry are aging equipment, high land costs, disease pressure and low attractiveness of farming for young people.
At the same time, Kenya remains one of the most stable countries in terms of quality. There is less experimentation here, but more transparency and predictability than almost anywhere else.
The main thing
Kenya is a country where taste is the result of a system. Limited volumes, selected varieties, strict processing and transparent trade make Kenyan coffee one of the most recognizable in the world.
For the green coffee market, Kenya is not about flexibility and not about a low price. This is about the quality benchmark with which everyone else is compared.