By Henry Kinyua
At the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE), all participating buyers are licensed by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) directorate. These licenses permit dealers to purchase coffee exclusively through the weekly auction platform.
64 licensed buyers are active in the current trading season. However, market activity is heavily concentrated, with just five companies accounting for more than 77% of all purchases.
Ibero Kenya Ltd leads the pack with a commanding 26% market share. The company has acquired approximately 137,135 bags of coffee, equivalent to over 8.4 million kilograms, at an estimated value of $53.5 million. Other key players include C. Dorman Ltd (16%), Louis Dreyfus Company (15%), Taylor Winch Ltd (12%), and Sasini (K) Ltd (9%). Kenyacof Ltd also maintains a notable presence with an 8% share.
The remaining 23% of the market is distributed among more than 50 smaller buyers. Most of these firms each account for less than 1% of total sales, with many handling fewer than 100 bags, illustrating that participation in the NCE is not limited to large multinationals.
The performance of these buyers reflects their critical role in sustaining foreign exchange inflows through the auction system.
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