An Evolving Landscape: How Domestic Consumption Is Slowly Redefining Kenya’s Coffee Identity | 25, Issue 24
Communications expert and researcher DANIEL MURAGA shares insights into Kenya’s domestic specialty coffee consumption, tracing how migration, economic shifts, and urbanization have fueled a dynamic local café and roasting scene, blurring the distinction between “producing country” and “consuming country.”
Introduction by LAUREL CARMICHAEL, SCA Publications Manager
The coffee sector has conventionally been perceived as a linear chain, with “producing countries” at the beginning and “consuming” countries at the end. However, these binary definitions have become increasingly inaccurate, prompting us to search for terminology that better captures the realities of where coffee is consumed and by whom. When the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) created the Coffee Systems Map in 2020, a major motivation was to show that coffee isn’t transformed from seed to cup in a linear chain. Instead, coffee is part of a dynamic system where activities happen simultaneously—and coffee doesn’t always need to leave the country where it’s produced to be valued.
In 2020, Vera Espíndola Rafael wrote a report titled “A Business Case to Increase Specialty Coffee Consumption in Producing Countries.”[1] Looking at case studies of Colombia, Brazil, and Rwanda, she sought to answer the question: how can producing countries capture a larger share of coffee’s total value? She noted that traditionally the “trends of consumption and the value of coffee have been defined outside the formal borders of producing countries,” meaning that coffee producers (and the actors who work alongside them before coffee is exported) are vulnerable to external forces, such as currency fluctuations, international shipping prices, and consumption trends in geographically distant markets.
In the following feature, Daniel Muraga illustrates how coffee professionals in and around Nairobi are capitalizing on the proximity of coffee production to urban centers to build a similarly diverse coffee economy. He notes that, while some inspiration for Kenya’s specialty café scene came from international influence, the scene is being strengthened from within, based on increasing pride in coffee as both cultural connector and economic force.
In “A Business Case to Increase Specialty Coffee Consumption in Producing Countries,” Espíndola Rafael argues that there are four key pillars required to build a domestic coffee consumption scene that has a positive impact on rural economies. These include economic and social stability for consumers, financial structures to support small and medium enterprises (such as local roasteries), creating a program for the promotion of coffee consumption, and investments in education, training, and knowledge development.
Muraga’s article mentions at least three of these pillars as driving a flourishing café scene in Nairobi. While he clarifies that Kenya’s specialty scene is “just getting started,” his writing makes me optimistic about a scene that can foster enjoyment, social connection, and perhaps a more equitable distribution of coffee’s value.
While most of the coffee grown in Kenya is exported for foreign exchange, a new wave of local appreciation is brewing, and domestic consumption is on the rise.
This growth is fueled by factors such as increasing disposable incomes, a cultural shift away from tea, greater public awareness driven by marketing and education initiatives, and reforms to the coffee sector. Consequently, Kenya is seeing a blossoming of cafés and coffee retail stores, as well as increased availability and popularity of specialty coffee, with a focus on espresso, manual-brewing, and flavored-coffee signature drinks.
Kenya has traditionally been characterized as a “producing” rather than a “consuming” coffee nation. In fact, Kenya is the fifth-largest coffee producer in Africa, producing 48,648 metric tons in the 2022/23 financial year.[2] According to the Kenya Investment Authority,[3] the coffee market was valued at about US$1.61 billion in 2023 and is estimated to reach US$2.4 billion by 2033. As a developing nation with agriculture as the economic backbone, 95% of the coffee produced in Kenya is exported, while just 5% is consumed locally. However, local coffee consumption is gradually increasing. The United States Foreign Agriculture Service (FAS) projects a 6.9% increase in domestic coffee consumption to 62,000 bags in the marketing year (MY) 2025/26, alongside an expected 10% growth in exports to 840,000 bags over the same period.[4]
Figure 1. Domestic coffee consumption in Kenya in metric tons, from 2016 to 2023. Data sourced from the Kenyan Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).[5]
“Nairobi’s coffee café culture is growing fast and becoming more vibrant,” Felix Ouma, the 2025 Kenya Barista Champion and Head of Roasting at Fairchain Coffee Kenya tells us. He adds: “We’re seeing more specialty coffee shops opening up, especially in places like Lavington, Kilimani, and Westlands.” He notes that the younger generation are especially curious and open to trying methods like pour-overs and cold brew but are also visiting cafés for “the full experience, quality brews, good vibes, and a place to connect.” He comments that “it’s exciting to see how Nairobi is slowly building a strong and unique coffee identity.”
Coffee Background in Kenya
Kenya’s coffee history is deeply intertwined with its history as a British colony. Despite bordering Ethiopia—an epicenter of coffee history—the plant was introduced to Kenya much later, imported from Brazil by missionaries in 1893. In the colonial system, coffee was one of many plants that were only cultivated by the white settlers, with locals providing cheap or forced labor.[6]
The 1923 Devonshire White Paper Report brought a marginal shift, permitting a select few Kenyans to cultivate a limited number of coffee trees. However, these growers were forbidden from producing coffee for consumption; all coffee was mandated for processing at central mills, with the highest grades earmarked exclusively for export. This policy ensured that generations of Kenyans were systematically denied the opportunity to experience the celebrated sensory qualities of their own country’s coffee. Lydia Nabulumbi, Head of Quality and Certifications at Fairchain Kenya, shares that an overwhelmingly large proportion of quality Kenyan coffee was exported to different parts of the world, with only a miniscule proportion (of usually lower-quality coffee) kept for domestic consumption.
Post-independence in 1963, the new government imposed further restrictions on coffee cultivation and trade, a policy that hampered the sector’s growth for decades. Gradual coffee reforms over the last two decades have meant that Kenyan coffee growers have more freedom to experiment with different varieties and processing methods and participate in the coffee value chain in multiple capacities. According to the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union, as of 2025 there are approximately 4,000 coffee estates, 550 coffee cooperatives, and 800,000 smallholder farmers in Kenya.[7] This has laid the foundation for local consumption. According to the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), domestic consumption of coffee increased by 19% from 1,722 metric tons in 2021/22 to 2,051 metric tons in 2022/23 financial year (see figure 1).[8]
Figure 2.
Roasting at Kesh Kesh Coffee. Photo supplied by Kesh Kesh Coffee.
“Over the past decade, Nairobi has seen a coffee culture boom,” shares Dorcas Mutavi, the Sales Manager at Jowam Coffee Roasters in Kenya. “Once focused on export, coffee is now a key part of urban social life.” She adds that Nairobi has witnessed a rapid rise in cafés that focus on local sourcing, fueled by a growing middle-class and youth interest in specialty coffee. She observes that government and private initiatives in universities have also encouraged domestic consumption, making coffee a more central part of everyday life in Nairobi.
Local Coffee-Drinking Scene in Kenya
The trajectory of Kenya’s coffee scene has been significantly shaped by established brands such as Artcaffé, Dormans, Java House, and Connect Coffee. Notably, Dormans became Kenya’s first coffee roaster in 1950, introducing roasted coffee to the country. These influential brands have increasingly embraced products and experiences associated with specialty coffee, such as offering single-origin lots and a range of brewing methods. This concerted effort has fostered a vibrant café culture, and today the words “roasted at origin” are now a common feature on coffee retail bags.
Alongside domestic trailblazers, international coffee trends have also inspired local entrepreneurs to make Kenyan coffee accessible domestically. Reflecting on the growth of coffee consumption in Kenya, Ritesh Doshi, the CEO of Spring Valley—a roastery established in a traditionally coffee-growing neighborhood of Nairobi—notes that “as more Kenyans traveled abroad, we kept asking, ‘Why are the best Kenyan coffees only available abroad?’ And that’s why we decided to make the most exciting Kenyan coffees available at home for other Kenyans to enjoy as well.”
Spring Valley Coffee now has eight cafés across Nairobi (with one more under construction) and recently opened its first international café in London. Like most other modern coffee roasteries and outlets in Nairobi, it supplies coffee to hotels and restaurants. It also has coffee available to buy from leading premium grocery and retail stores across Kenya. Spring Valley’s growth is not unique. The number of coffee shops in Kenya increased from 231 in 2019 to 791 in 2023,[9] demonstrating that local customer demand for coffee is intensifying. Specialty cafés have also grown beyond Nairobi and its surrounds. On the Kenyan island of Lamu, Vava Angwenyi is the proprietor of the café and coffee school La Dulce Toro, and Stephen E. Vick founded Bahari Coffee. Both establishments offer high-quality Kenyan coffee to the local and tourist community.
Fenkil Asghedom Kahsay, the CEO and Founder of Fenkil Empire Ltd (Kesh Kesh Coffee Roasters, see figure 2), notes that Nairobi’s cosmopolitan culture was influential on specialty coffee developing a local presence. “Kenya is home to many corporate and foreign companies, embassies, IT nomads, the UN, and other organizations that understand the value of specialty coffee,” he shares. However, although international visitors and diverse residents shaped the scene initially, there has been a strong local embrace of specialty coffee. “Our middle-class and young Kenyans have a very quick and strong culture of adopting and discovering new products or services. The more demand, the more quality and valuable supply to the market,” he says.
The coffee scene in Nairobi and its surrounds is flourishing and diversifying beyond coffee shops. The city is situated at an altitude of over 1,700 meters above sea level, and coffee grows on the city’s doorstep. Coffee farms, for instance, are increasingly curating immersive experiences designed to educate urban dwellers on the journey “from seed to cup,” thereby improving awareness and creating new value-generating opportunities. They are offering coffee farm visits and tasting tours for the people in urban centers to understand the process from the farm to their coffee cups. For example, Karunguru Coffee Estate and Fairview Coffee Estate in Kiambu, on the outskirts of Nairobi, offer farm tours, nature walks, birdwatching, factory visits, and tasting opportunities, fostering a deeper understanding of coffee and its role in the local environment and economy.
Urbanization and Perceived Value of Specialty Coffee
The close proximity of coffee farms to urban centers, while fostering a vital connection between producers and consumers, also presents challenges. The very urbanization that facilitates immersive farm visits and shortens the supply chain simultaneously introduces considerable pressure on the agricultural land crucial for coffee production. As Nabulumbi shares: “Farms are increasingly being replaced by urban landscapes, such as residential estates, shopping centers, and other infrastructure developments.” The FAS notes that the substitution of coffee plantations with housing was “rampant” in recent years, citing a drop in the area planted for coffee from 112,000 to 105,000 hectares in peri-urban areas of Nairobi, Thika, Kiambu, and Nyeri between 2020 and 2024.[10]
While the FAS observe that the substitution of coffee plantations with housing has abated in 2025, the impact remains significant. Doshi notes that the regions of Kiambu, Thika, and Murang’a have been developing into the urban commuter belt of Nairobi, with coffee farms being sold off for housing, industrial, and commercial developments, meaning that coffee farming has seen a rapid decline in the towns surrounding Nairobi.
Figure 3.
Farm tours with students of Jowam Coffee. Photo supplied by Jowam Coffee.
According to Mutavi, many coffee farms, especially near growing towns and cities, are being converted into residential and commercial developments. She says the shift is driven by factors such as declining profitability in coffee farming and the lure of real estate investments. While coffee cafés are increasing in urban areas, they often rely on imported beans as local production declines. She recommends a balance between urban growth and preservation of coffee farmland to ensure the future of Kenya’s coffee industry. However, she hails the local coffee-drinking culture for an increasing focus on quality and sustainability, as well as for opportunities to retain coffee’s value within Kenya.
Despite the trend, Nablumbi says, there are efforts to protect or revive coffee agriculture. Alongside the consumer-oriented farm tours, some estates are offering tours related to sustainability and business management (see figure 3). Local campaigns and county-level policies are starting to encourage sustainable coffee farming and protect agricultural land from total conversion. There is also a growing recognition that coffee farming is part of Kenya’s cultural heritage, not just an economic activity.
Crucially, efforts to retain value within Kenya’s coffee sector extend beyond agricultural land protection to encompass strategic investments in talent development and consumer awareness, largely driven by events and specialized training. Mutavi observes that the promotion of national coffee events like the Kenya Barista Championship by the Coffee Directorate and the private sector not only supports specialty coffee but also increases local awareness. Additionally, the establishment of coffee schools that train not only coffee baristas but also coffee cuppers (also known as liquorers, see figure 4) and agronomists also contributes to local coffee consumption. By equipping coffee professionals with technical knowledge and sensory skills, these programs foster a deeper appreciation for quality from seed to cup.
“Young people are being introduced to coffee skills early, and some are even learning about coffee straight from high school,” Ouma, the national Barista Champion to represent Kenya in the 2025 World Barista Championships in Milan, Italy, tells us. He adds that more coffee is staying in the country as a result of value addition and local roasting, making it easier for Kenyans to enjoy and understand their coffee. He also notes that the introduction of diverse processing methods such as anaerobic fermentation, carbonic maceration, honey, and co-fermentation has added variety and excitement to the local coffee scene. According to Ouma, these innovative methods have expanded the flavor profiles available, attracting more interest and encouraging exploration among consumers, especially young people.
The Shift Has Already Started, and It’s Only Going to Grow Stronger
Figure 4. Cupping at Kesh Kesh Coffee. Photo supplied by Kesh Kesh Coffee.
Increased domestic consumption in Kenya is blurring the binary labels of coffee-producing and coffee-consuming country. Local leaders in the coffee sector are optimistic. Nabulumbi thanks the rise in urban coffee culture and specialty coffee brands serving specialty and single-origin coffees for challenging the perception of Kenya as a producing-only country. She hopes to see more coffee education through barista training schools, public coffee events, and certifications to expand access to coffee knowledge. Farmers, baristas, and everyday consumers, she believes, should learn more about tasting and coffee value and should discuss coffee more deeply.
Ouma sees Kenya making big strides in domestic coffee consumption in the next five years. With more young people being introduced to coffee skills early and the rise of local cafés and roasters, coffee is becoming part of everyday life, not just an export product. More people will be drinking and appreciating Kenyan coffee locally, exploring different brewing methods, and supporting local baristas and producers. The shift has already started, and it is only going to grow stronger.
Mutavi believes Kenya’s coffee industry holds immense potential not just as a global exporter but also as a vibrant local market. Strengthening the domestic coffee culture through education, innovation, and sustainable practices will be key to unlocking this potential. She welcomes collaborations and conversations that help grow Kenya’s specialty coffee scene, connecting producers, roasters, and consumers in ways that foster sustainability, equity, and appreciation for Kenyan coffee. For Kahsay, young farmers are embracing new agronomy and processing practices. He would like to see them equipped and empowered with knowledge and technologies in farming, roasting, retailing, and consuming.
For Doshi, local consumption is a significant positive. It means that coffee professionals can move from solely export-oriented activities to also enjoying coffee close to home. However, there is room for growth. Doshi notes that “while Kenya’s coffee consumption will continue to increase, we expect most of this to occur at the entry levels of coffee; soluble to begin with, then with large quantities of milk and sugar, and then slowly up the quality curve.”
Doshi’s observations highlight the value of locally led education initiatives for coffee professionals and consumers. As educators increase domestic awareness of Kenyan coffee’s world-famous attributes—including bright acidity and flavor complexity—the perceived value of coffee within the country is rising. This, in turn, is inspiring innovation in the roast and retail sectors, and contributing to a diverse economy around coffee, such as bio-tourism in the coffee farms that border Nairobi. As urbanization blurs the boundaries between Nairobi’s cityscape and coffee farms, local consumers are helping to redefine Kenya’s reputation as an exclusively exporting country, ultimately retaining more opportunities and value within the domestic market. ◊
DANIEL MURAGA (he/him) is a communications expert, researcher, writer, and editor based in Kenya with over 10 years of experience in the industry. His mission is to highlight Africa’s contributions to the realms of science, technology, innovation, culture, food, and related fields.
References
[1] Vera Espíndola Rafael, “A Business Case to Increase Specialty Coffee Consumption in Producing Countries” (IDB Lab, Specialty Coffee Association, Hivos SAFE Platform, May 2020), https://bit.ly/domestic-consumption-2020-EN.
[2] Statista Research Department, Kenya: Production Of Coffee 2015–2023, Statista (June 3, 2025), https://www.statista.com/statistics/1206562/production-volume-of-coffee-in-kenya/.
[3] Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest), Coffee (April 15, 2025), https://www.investkenya.go.ke/coffee/.
[4] United States Foreign Agricultural Service and Global Agricultural Information Network, “Coffee Annual: Kenya” (May 15, 2025), https://apps.fas.usda.gov/newgainapi/api/Report/DownloadReportByFileName?.
[5] Agriculture and Food Authority Kenya, “2024: Year Book of Statistics” (2024), https://www.afa.go.ke/download/2044/?tmstv=1736318020.
[6] Richard Wanzala, Nyankomo W. Marwa, and Elizabeth L. Nanzin, “Historical Analysis of Coffee Production and Associated Challenges in Kenya from 1893 to 2018,” Southern Journal for Contemporary History 47, no. 2 (December 2022): 51, https://doi.org/10.38140/sjch.v47i2.6200.
[7] New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union, accessed July 7, 2025,
https://www.newkpcuplc.go.ke/about-coffee.
[8] Agriculture and Food Authority Kenya, Charting the Path Towards a Sustainable Coffee Sub-Sector in Kenya, accessed July 9, 2025, https://www.afa.go.ke/updates/charting-the-path-towards-a-sustainable-coffee-sub-sector-in-kenya/.
[9] Agriculture and Food Authority Kenya, Charting the Path Towards a Sustainable Coffee Sub-Sector in Kenya.
[10] United States Foreign Agricultural Service and Global Agricultural Information Network, “Coffee Annual: Kenya.”
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