KENYA: COVID 19 REVEALS THE VALUE OF A LOCAL MARKET FOR LOCAL COFFEE BEANS.
Kenyans are starting to drink their own coffee as Covid-19 has shown the value of a local market for local beans
“Produce of Kenya”. The coffee they roast sells for as much as $11 per 250 grams online.
Some of the world’s best arabica beans are grown on the fertile land around Mount Kenya. But like the citizens of many former British colonies, Kenyans are partial to tea. Now an expanding middle class is getting a taste for coffee.
Domestic consumption is expected to reach 3,600 tonnes this year, almost a tenth of total production. The pandemic has shown just how important a local market can be, as logjams at ports and a sharp drop in global demand crush exports. “Covid has been an eye-opener,” says Gloria Gummerus, who runs the Sakami estate in western Kenya.
