Coffee farmers and estate owners earned Sh884 million after 15,749 bags of coffee weighing 972,266 kilogrammes were traded at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) weekly auction held on Tuesday.
The sale, the 33rd auction of the 2025/2026 coffee year, recorded an average price of Sh45,419 per 50-kilogramme bag, equivalent to about Sh909 per kilogrammes of clean coffee, reflecting sustained demand for quality Kenyan coffee in the international market.
AB grade coffee accounted for the largest share of the auction, with 6,174 bags earning Sh376.9 million. A total of 1,762 bags of AA grade coffee realized Sh116.8 million, while 3,333 bags of grade C coffee fetched Sh188 million, highlighting strong demand across different coffee grades.
The highest price of the day, Sh56,030 per 50-kilogramme bag, was jointly achieved by two AA coffee lots marketed by Alliance Berries Limited. The coffee originated from Gatei Coffee Factory in Kiambu County and New Gatanga Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Murang’a County, underscoring the continued strong performance of well-processed coffee from cooperative societies.
Fourteen licensed marketing agents participated in the auction, with New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union PLC (New KPCU) handling the largest volume of coffee. The marketer sold 4,331 bags weighing 266,673 kilogrammes, earning Sh299.7 million.
Alliance Berries Limited ranked second after trading 2,771 bags weighing 172,436 kilogrammes valued at Sh168.4 million, while Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage came third with 2,398 bags weighing 146,940 kilogrammes that earned Sh133 million.
Other key marketers included Coffee Estates Bourgeoisie Brokers, which marketed 1,369 bags worth Sh72.4 million, while Meru County Coffee Marketing Agency and KCCE Marketing Agency traded 1,226 and 1,216 bags, respectively.
On the buying side, 21 licensed coffee dealers participated in the auction. C. Dormans SEZ Ltd emerged as the leading buyer after purchasing 3,924 bags valued at Sh242.2 million, accounting for about 27 per cent of the total value traded.
Kenyacof Limited followed with 3,494 bags worth Sh192.7 million, while Louis Dreyfus Company bought 2,259 bags valued at Sh122.8 million. Ibero Kenya Ltd purchased 1,890 bags worth Sh104 million, while Sondhi Trading Limited acquired 980 bags valued at Sh58.3 million.
The top five buyers purchased a combined 12,547 bags, representing 80 per cent of the total volume traded and 82 per cent of the auction’s total value, highlighting the dominance of a few established exporters in Kenya’s coffee trade.
The remaining 16 buyers accounted for less than one-fifth of the market, with First Cup Coffee and Jotim Coffee recording the smallest purchases of four bags each.
The Nairobi Coffee Exchange, which conducts weekly auctions during the coffee season, remains the country’s principal marketplace for coffee traded through the auction system. The platform brings together licensed marketing agents and international buyers, providing a transparent price discovery mechanism that enables farmers, cooperative societies and estate owners to access premium export markets.
Industry players say the weekly auction continues to play a critical role in linking Kenyan coffee growers to global markets, with prices largely determined by bean quality, cup profile, demand from international buyers and prevailing conditions in the international coffee market.
By Bernard Munyao
