The Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) weekly auction resumed on Tuesday after the Christmas recess, trading 24,890 bags of coffee, equivalent to 1.53 million kilogrammes, netting Sh1.5 billion.
The coffee volumes traded in Sale 12 of the current coffee season eased from 28,157 bags sold in Sale 11 before the festive break, thus a typical early January slowdown as factories resume operations.
According to NCE records on the auction, the strength of prices signalled sustained international demand for Kenyan coffee.
In the auction conducted at Wakulima House in Nairobi, Gititu Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) of Kiambu earned the best price after selling a lot of 10 bags of grade AA at Sh 62,823 per bag.
The society also presented another lot of 20 bags of grade AA, which fetched a strong Sh 60,243 per 50-kilogram bag, confirming consistency in cup quality and buyer confidence.
The NCE records also indicated that across all grades traded, the overall market average price stood at Sh49,794 per 50-kilogram bag, equivalent to Sh153 per kilo of cherry gross, thus providing a solid opening benchmark for the 2026 trading calendar.
Coffee grade AA anchored the market with 7,929 bags sold, fetching Sh524.9 million, while 10,789 bags of grade AB, the largest volume grade, were traded, earning Sh665 million, thus showing increased demand for premium coffee qualities.
A total of nine licensed brokers actively traded coffee in the auction, reflecting participation from both farmer-linked and privately owned brokers.
Alliance Berries Ltd dominated the catalogue by trading 9,803 bags, earning Sh618 million, followed by Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage Company Ltd with 3,252 bags at Sh204 million. New KPCU traded 2,924 bags, earning Sh178 million, while Kipkelion Broker Company Ltd sold 2,339 bags at Sh136 million.
In the category of dealers, activity remained concentrated with the top six buyers accounting for about 93 per cent of total volumes traded, underscoring their central role in price discovery.
Ibero Kenya Ltd led the other dealers after purchasing 6,980 bags, equivalent to 28 percent at Sh422 million, followed by Taylor Winch (Coffee) Ltd with 4,776 bags (19.2 percent) at Sh286 million.
C. Dormans SEZ Ltd purchased 4,637 bags at Sh310 million, Sasini (K) Ltd bought 2,590 bags at Sh161 million, Kenyacof Ltd acquired 2,276 bags for Sh137 million and Louis Dreyfus Company closed the top six buyers after purchasing 2,021 bags at Sh118 million.
Compared with the stronger volumes seen before the festive break, Sale 12 reflected a normal post-holiday lull yet the firmness of prices, particularly the sharp premiums achieved by high-quality grade AA lots.
As factories clear backlogs and volumes build in subsequent sales, the reopening auction confirms that the NCE has started 2026 on a solid footing, offering farmers, cooperatives and coffee estates a cautiously optimistic outlook for the months ahead.
By Bernard Munyao
