Kenyan coffee farmers have earned Ksh 41.63 billion from sales at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) during the 2025/2026 coffee year. This represents a significant improvement in returns compared to the previous season. The earnings were generated from the sale of about 47 million kilogrammes of coffee, with 770,034 bags traded through the auction.
The latest performance represents an increase of about Ksh 6 billion from the Ksh 35.6 billion earned in the 2024/2025 coffee year. During the 2024/2025 season, 673,844 bags were sold. The NCE report attributes the stronger performance to improved coffee prices and market demand. The 2025/2026 season was characterized by relatively firm prices during much of the trading period.
By May, the exchange had already recorded Ksh 32.25 billion from 36.93 million kilogrammes of coffee. The average price stood at Ksh 43,780 per 50-kilogramme bag. However, the final auction, Sale 42, held on September 29, reflected some softening in prices as the season came to an end. A total of 17,765 bags earned farmers Sh841.3 million.
The average price was Ksh 38,140 per 50-kilogramme bag, translating to about Ksh 762 per kilogramme of clean coffee. Despite the late-season decline, the overall performance points to a stronger financial outcome for coffee growers. The value of sales rose faster than the number of bags traded compared to the previous year.
NCE Chief Executive Officer Lisper Ndung’u noted that 18 brokers participated in marketing the coffee during the year. Alliance Berries Limited emerged as the leading broker after marketing 222,329 bags, representing about 29 percent of the coffee traded. New Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union (New KPCU) followed with 137,284 bags, accounting for about 18 percent of the market.
Several county growers’ cooperative unions also recorded notable performances during the year. Meru marketed 21,786 bags valued at Ksh 23.8 million, while Mt Elgon sold 15,334 bags worth Ksh 17.9 million. Murang’a growers marketed 12,476 bags valued at Ksh 13.3 million, placing the county among the better-performing cooperative unions during the period.
The improved earnings come against a backdrop of renewed efforts by the coffee industry to enhance production, quality and access to better-paying markets. Kenya is known for producing high-quality Arabica coffee, with the NCE auction serving as an important avenue through which coffee from cooperative societies and estates is marketed to buyers.
Key points
- Kenyan coffee farmers earned Ksh 41.63 billion from sales at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange during the 2025/2026 coffee year.
- The earnings represent a significant improvement in returns compared to the previous season.
- The NCE attributes the stronger performance to improved coffee prices and market demand.
