Nairobi: A total of 10,099 bags of coffee weighing 627,415 kilograms were traded at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) auction, earning growers and coffee estates Sh554 million. At the auction held at Ukulima House in Nairobi, price performance varied across grades, reflecting the diverse quality of coffee on offer.
According to Kenya News Agency, the best price in the auction was paid for 20 bags of AA grade coffee from various growers, including eight bags from the Muisini Farmers' Cooperative Society of Machakos County. The overall average price of the coffee traded stood at Sh44,204 per 50-kilogram bag, equivalent to about Sh136 per kilo of cherry, indicating competitive market conditions.
Grade AA maintained the strongest performance, with an average price of Sh49,566 per bag, while lower grades such as UG3 averaged Sh25,443 per bag. In the auction, 931 bags of grade AA coffee were sold for Sh60.1 million and another 3,935 bags of grade AB netted Sh223 million.
In the category of brokers, 12 companies participated in the auction, with Alliance Berries Ltd trading the highest volume of 2,258 bags, earning Sh128.3 million. Kirinyaga Slopes Company sold 2,296 bags at Sh125 million; KCCE Marketing Agency traded 1,277 bags at Sh69.6 million and New KPCU traded 830 bags, earning Sh46.9 million.
Among the dealers, C. Dormans Ltd bought the highest volume of 2,271 bags of coffee at Sh132 million, followed by Ibero Kenya Ltd, which purchased 2,138 bags at Sh113.4 million. Louis Dreyfus Company bought 2,024 bags and Kenyacof Ltd purchased 1,836 bags at Sh103.5 million.