Mushroom coffee enters Kenya's growing market

Nature Niche, a firm founded by Elizabeth Mibei, has developed a unique beverage that combines coffee with oyster mushrooms, accounting for about 40 per cent of the blend. The product aims to provide the taste of coffee, additional health benefits, and a hint of mushroom. Mibei showcased the product during the East African Coffee Market and Conference in Nairobi from October 28 to 30. The conference brought together players in the coffee value chain to explore opportunities in quality improvement, compliance, market expansion, and value addition.

The innovation behind mushroom coffee is rooted in Mibei's personal experience during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Her husband contracted the virus and was hospitalised for two months, leading to a significant loss of weight and strength. As he recovered, the couple began exploring natural products to complement his prescribed medication and improve his immunity. Mibei's husband, a mushroom expert, suggested incorporating oyster mushrooms into their diet, which led to the development of mushroom coffee and tea.

Nature Niche has established a production plan that involves mushroom cultivation, coffee farming, processing, and blending. The company produces its own spawn in a laboratory and grows coffee in Bomet County. According to Jennifer Wangari, who handles laboratory analysis, the coffee undergoes conventional processing, while the mushrooms are dried, roasted, and ground. The two ingredients are then blended to produce the finished beverage.

The company has a laboratory in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, where the ingredients are analysed to establish the appropriate quantities for blending and maintain consistency. Wangari notes that oyster mushrooms contain beta-glucans, compounds associated with immune system support, and are a source of protein and dietary fibre. The mushrooms also contain antioxidants, which help protect body cells against oxidative stress.

Nature Niche is targeting both local and international markets, with products already being sent to customers in the US and Germany. The company is working to popularise mushroom coffee and tea, attending exhibitions and conferences to introduce the product and encourage people to try it. Mibei notes that Kenyans are hesitant to adopt new products, which is why education and awareness are crucial to expanding the market.

The introduction of mushroom coffee offers lessons for smallholder farmers, who can explore processing and product development instead of relying solely on selling raw coffee. Kenya exports about 95 per cent of its coffee production, leaving room for increased domestic consumption and local processing. Mibei believes that developing products that appeal to local consumers could help expand the market and create jobs, and that collaboration between producers and professionals in other disciplines could unlock opportunities in food processing and herbal products.

Key points

• Nature Niche's mushroom coffee combines locally grown coffee with oyster mushrooms, providing additional health benefits and creating a market for mushrooms.