Kenya’s coffee farmers earned KSh41.63 billion (about $322 million) through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) in the 2025/2026 coffee year, up from KSh35.6 billion in the previous season, even as prices softened at the final auction and the industry entered a new trading year.
The earnings came from approximately 47 million kilogrammes of coffee sold between October 1, 2025, and September 30, 2026. A total of 770,034 bags were traded through the exchange, compared with 673,844 bags in the 2024/2025 coffee year. The increase in sales value points to improved financial returns across the season, although results varied by auction and coffee grade.
The season closed with Sale 42 on September 29, when 17,765 bags generated KSh841.3 million (about $6.5 million). Of the 17,849 bags offered, only 84 remained unsold, indicating that buyers took nearly all the coffee presented at the auction. However, the average price fell to KSh38,140 (about $295) per 50-kilogramme bag, down from KSh40,475 recorded at Sale 39.
The closing price translated to approximately KSh762 (about $5.90) per kilogramme of clean coffee, or around KSh117 (about $0.91) per kilogramme of coffee cherry before milling, marketing and other deductions. The distinction matters because the auction price is not the final amount that growers necessarily receive after costs and payments across the value chain.
Buyer activity was concentrated among a relatively small group of traders. Seven dealers purchased 16,546 bags, accounting for 82 per cent of the coffee offered at Sale 42. Ibero Kenya was the leading buyer, accounting for 35 per cent of the value purchased, followed by Louis Dreyfus, Kenyacof, C. Dorman and Taylor Winch. The concentration highlights the important role of major exporters and dealers in determining demand at the auction, according to Kenya News Agency.
The distribution of sales through brokers also showed differences in volumes and returns. New Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union (New KPCU) marketed 3,918 bags worth KSh173.4 million, while Alliance Berries sold 3,806 bags valued at KSh172.8 million. Across the full year, Alliance Berries was the leading broker, marketing 222,329 bags, or about 29 per cent of the coffee traded. New KPCU followed with 137,284 bags, equivalent to approximately 18 per cent of the total. Together, the two brokers handled around 47 per cent of annual auction volumes.
Coffee quality and grading continued to influence the prices achieved. At the final sale, Grade AB accounted for the largest share of the catalogue, while Grade AA attracted slightly higher average prices. The highest reported price was $375 for a Karatu AA lot, demonstrating the premium that some high-quality coffees can command even when overall prices ease.
The 2026/2027 coffee year began on October 1, with the industry looking to build on the previous season’s stronger earnings. Maintaining quality, improving production and widening access to competitive markets will remain important as growers seek to translate favourable market conditions into reliable farm income.
NBF Insight
Kenya’s coffee season presents two important signals: annual earnings increased, but the closing auction showed that prices can weaken even when most of the coffee offered finds a buyer.
For farmers, stronger national sales figures do not automatically guarantee higher returns at farm level. The price they receive depends on quality, grade, marketing and processing costs, as well as how revenue moves through the value chain.
The concentration of auction purchases and brokerage volumes also makes market transparency important. Better access to pricing information, stronger farmer organisations and clearer deductions can help growers understand the value of their coffee and negotiate from a more informed position.
As the new coffee year begins, the challenge is to turn stronger aggregate earnings into more predictable and equitable returns for the farmers who produce the crop.
