In a bid to shift global decision-making, trade negotiations, and buyer engagements for Kenyan coffee from foreign capitals back to the country, an international Convention; Kenya Coffee Hub has been launched.
The origin based coffee trade convention is a first of its kind will connect international buyers directly with producers at source.
Kenya produces high quality coffee that fetches premium prices abroad, however, the origin is often obscured by international brands leaving farmers disconnected from end buyers and capturing limited value.
The Coffee Convention seeks to bridge the gap by bringing international buyers directly to Kenyan farms.
Speaking at the launch, Salome Bisau said that the initiative ensures farmers see farmers and the farms.
According to Ms Bisau, great exposure will boost market access and pride among producers.
She has also highlighted the need for improved female representation.
“Women do a lot of groundwork, but when it comes to the actual representation in selling places, it is usually men,” Salome Bisau said.
She adds, “It is not a bad thing, but women require more representation”.
According to Joshua Tiampati, Co founder of Kenya Coffee Hub, the initiative supports ongoing government coffee sector reforms.
The Convention aims to reduce is also aimed at reducing tarrif barriers by attracting buyers to Kenya and building awareness around export standards and market readiness.
“The coffee sector has tariffs that are nor really written on paper, ” Mr. Tiampati said adding that education and awareness is a gap in this sector.
“Many people think that the reason why they are not exporting coffee out of the country is because that is reserved for cartels. But reality is, there is certain standards, certain measures that have been put in place by foreign markets to regulate the kind of coffee they take in,” he added.
According to the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and IndustryKenya earned USD 297 million from coffee exports to 59 countries in 2025 alone.
KNCCI president, Erick Rutto, noted that Kenya lacks at Origin trade conventions, making the Kenya Coffee Hub the first of it’s kind to bridge that gap.
“International buyers are willing to pay a premium of upto 30 to 50 per cent when they experience quality of coffee at origin rather than from a shipped sample” Erick Rutto said.