Germany backs direct coffee sales by farmers

The campaign by Nyeri coffee farmers for direct coffee sales got a boost after the German Ambassador to Kenya Andreas Peschke said the embassy was working on a plan to link German coffee buyers with local producers. “We are discussing with the trade consular to have German companies which are interested in supporting the coffee industry to come here,” said the ambassador during a recent visit to the county. 

Mr Peschke said a similar initiative was underway for Ethiopian coffee, which is already available in retail outlets in his country.

Ethiopian coffee

Germany is known for some of the biggest names in the global coffee market such as the Neumann Kaffee Gruppe which already has a presence in Kenya through the Tropical Farm Management Kenya Ltd. Other companies are Volcafe Group and Schirmer Kaffee.

Direct links would provide Nyeri farmers with a huge market opportunity since Germany is the largest importer and consumer of coffee in the European Union and also has the largest coffee trading centre in Europe.  

Coffee farmers in Nyeri have been pushing for linkages with consumer markets to eliminate middlemen and intermediaries and improve earnings. This has seen private coffee millers and marketers pushed out of the Nyeri coffee market as societies shift to carrying out these functions individually or through farmer-owned initiatives such as the Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters Ltd.

The drive has received a big boost from the county government which is keen on maximising benefits from their main produce.

Nyeri governor Nderitu Gachagua lauded the move to tap directly into the German market. “The direct link is in the best interests of the consumer since it will promote sustainability of production and improve income for farmers,” he said.

Mr Gachagua noted that the average age of coffee farmers is 60 years and if income from coffee does not improve, it will be hard to attract the younger generation into farming.

Current reforms

The ambassador lauded the current reforms in the county’s coffee industry which are being spearheaded by the governor. “The ongoing reforms are very important so that we can have the right framework,” he said.

He urged the county government to arrange consultative forums which will bring together all players in the coffee industry so that they can support ongoing reforms. The reforms, which mainly seek to bring milling and marketing of coffee in the county under one roof, have received a lot of opposition from coffee millers and marketers who fear being locked out.