Key findings

• Among the main coffee counties (over 2,000 tonnes sold), Kirinyaga earned the highest average price, US$241 per 50 kg bag, against US$152 in Kisii. The market average was US$190.
• The gap holds grade for grade: Kirinyaga AA averaged US$323, compared with US$231 for AA from Kisii. Origin and cup quality matter, not just bean size.
• Kiambu sold the most coffee (38,783 tonnes), much of it from large estates, at an average close to the market (US$191).
• Coffee from cooperative factories averaged US$209, above estates at US$185. 67% of factory volume was top grades (E, AA, AB, PB), against 52% for estates.
• The best-paid AA came almost entirely from cooperative factories and societies in Kirinyaga, Nyeri and Kiambu.

Prices by county

Auction results by county of the grower, 2015–2020. Prices in US$ per 50 kg bag.

County	Growers selling	Tonnes	Avg price	AA	AB	Top grades share
Kiambu	386	38,783	191	286	226	53%
Kirinyaga	136	20,353	241	323	270	70%
Nyeri	189	20,243	207	301	249	60%
Kericho	153	15,205	191	249	193	78%
Murang'a	145	14,711	212	296	241	66%
Kisii	131	9,541	152	231	167	66%
Bungoma	60	8,563	217	291	215	79%
Machakos	105	7,761	189	273	214	59%
Embu	97	6,907	219	307	251	64%
Meru	154	6,520	184	275	214	54%
Tharaka Nithi	77	3,781	177	238	198	58%
Nakuru	38	2,642	186	269	219	56%
Trans Nzoia	44	1,692	204	254	215	71%
Makueni	34	937	172	273	206	52%
Kakamega	24	641	193	255	191	78%
Baringo	23	325	161	191	172	67%
Nyamira	8	224	136	203	150	63%
Migori	12	203	195	252	199	75%
Uasin Gishu	4	156	161	182	180	63%
Nandi	4	56	160	190	158	84%

"Top grades share" is the share of a county's volume sold as E, AA, AB or PB. Counties with small volumes can swing a lot from a handful of lots. 27% of all coffee was sold in bulked lots that mix several growers and is not included in the county figures.

Cooperatives and estates

Auction results by type of grower, US$ per 50 kg bag

Grower type	Growers selling	Tonnes	Avg price	AA	AB	C	Top grades share
Factories	863	95,835	209	295	230	175	67%
Estates	188	35,862	185	277	218	166	52%
Cooperative societies	348	20,297	190	278	213	169	62%
Small estates	677	9,301	188	267	204	166	65%

Factories (the cooperative wet mills where smallholders deliver cherry) sell under their own marks, and many have built reputations with specialty buyers. Estates sell larger volumes, often with a wider grade mix. The difference in average price comes partly from grade mix, and partly from a premium for the best-known factory marks.

The best-paid AA producers

Growers that sold at least 20 tonnes of AA, ranked by their average AA price:

Highest average AA prices, US$ per 50 kg bag (minimum 20 tonnes of AA sold)

#	Grower	County	AA tonnes	AA avg price
1	New Ngariama F.C.S. Ltd	Kirinyaga	21	497
2	Ndaro-Ini Factory	Kirinyaga	95	422
3	Karimikui Factory	Kirinyaga	209	399
4	Kiriani Factory (Thikagiki F.C.S. Ltd)	Kiambu	28	395
5	Tegu Factory	Nyeri	44	394
6	Kangocho Factory	Nyeri	165	371
7	Kiangothe Factory	Kirinyaga	50	369
8	Gititu F.C.S. Ltd	Kiambu	62	369
9	Gicherori Factory	Embu	27	368
10	Ngunguru Factory	Nyeri	42	365
11	Gatomboya Factory	Nyeri	142	365
12	Gaturiri Factory	Nyeri	93	364
13	Karani Factory	Kirinyaga	103	361
14	Kiaragana Factory	Kirinyaga	26	361
15	Gichatha-Ini Factory	Nyeri	65	361

The market average for AA over the period was US$278. The best-paid grower earned roughly 1.8 times that.

What it means

• For cooperatives: the price gap between neighbouring factories shows that processing and quality control, not location alone, drive earnings. Benchmark against the leaders in your county on the county pages.
• For buyers and roasters: counties such as Kirinyaga, Embu and Nyeri consistently deliver top-priced AA. Many smaller counties offer good value at lower prices.
• For county governments: extension services and investment in factory processing can raise the share of top grades. That share is the biggest single driver of average price.

Look up any grower’s grade-by-grade prices in the growers directory, and read the auction review and the buyers report.

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Method: figures are computed from 131,378 lots sold at 204 Nairobi Coffee Exchange auctions. Prices are volume-weighted averages in US dollars per 50 kg bag of clean coffee. Seasons run from October to September; 2014/15 starts in January 2015. Direct sales outside the auction are not included. Grower, county and type are matched through the growers code on each lot. © MyKahawa. You may quote this report with attribution and a link to mykahawa.org.

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