By Henry Kinyua
Bungoma County (Code XDA) in the coffee circles, is one of Kenya’s coffee-growing counties. It has 44 registered cooperatives, though some operate at suboptimal levels.
In the current 2024/2025 season, the county and its two affiliated cooperatives, Chepkube (XDA 004) and Kimama (XDA 039), have shown remarkable quality improvements compared to the 2023/2024 season.
All three entities experienced significant increases in premium coffee grades, with the County’s total AA grade increasing from 17% to 30%. Chepkube rose from 21% to 23%, and Kimama showed the most impressive jump from 24% to 34%.
This quality improvement directly translated to substantial price increases, with Bungoma County seeing a 53% increase in average price, Chepkube experiencing a dramatic 50% increase, and Kimama also achieving a 50% price improvement.
The average price per 50kg bag in USD rose from $209 to $319 for Bungoma County, $212 to $319 for Chepkube, and $219 to $329 for Kimama.
Despite these price improvements, all three entities faced significant declines in production volumes. Bungoma County’s total volume dropped by over 50%, from 1,736,750 kg to 845,483 kg, while Chepkube and Kimama experienced even steeper declines of 57% and 65%, respectively. Although we still have upcoming sales from July to September, the drop in volumes is at a level that warrants scrutiny.
So, Bungoma people, are you with us? Is there a problem? Or will the remaining sales cover the difference?
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