Food & Drinks

Artcaffe starts selling premium fairtrade coffee

coffee

Martin Shabaya, winner of the Kenya National Barista Championship 2017 and Artcaffe barista. PHOTO | DIANA NGILA | NMG

The coffee beans from a Machakos farm blended with those from Nyeri marry together to produce a smooth, fragrant brew that is perfect for an afternoon drink.

This is one of the two blends that will be available for sale and order locally at Artcaffe under the Fairtrade.

Fairtrade coffee has been for the longest been a foreign concept in Kenya quite literally. Only a handful of products sold locally bear the mark with most being for export.

The small logo on product from Kenya and other source countries in the developing world indicates that a premium has been charged on the product to support farmers.

Dr Nyagoy Nyong’o, the executive director of Fairtrade Africa said that it is really good that the best coffee can also be enjoyed at home.

The Nyeri highland blend as well as the Machakos – Nyeri blend will both be available at all Artcaffe outlets with the latter being served as a house coffee.
Brands including Dormans, Cadburys, and Kericho Gold have some of their products certified and available in the local market.

The products are recognisable by a Fairtrade symbol on the packaging that is to signify that the farmers and entire supply chain received a ‘pair’ price for the product.

“Every Kenyan coffee farmer deserves to get a fair price and be treated with respect for their beans. We want to ensure that everyone can enjoy Kenyan coffee for years to come,” said Alfonce Nzyuko, regional manager at Artcaffe Coffee & Bakery.

The Artcaffe Fairtrade Coffee Blend is available in outlet for Sh290 served in a French press. It is also available for purchase as a 250 grammes ground box for Sh690.

There are about 171,650 farmers producing Fairtrade coffee in Kenya.