The Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NSE) weekly auction recorded sales of 14,319 bags, weighing 885,991 kilograms, totalling US$ 7,273,699 (Ksh 938 million), a 45% increase compared to activity at the previous auction.

Out of these, only the top five dealers handled 12,456 bags, about 87% of the total coffee traded during the sale, reflecting the highly monopolistic nature of Kenya’s coffee export market.

These leading dealers were Ibero Kenya Ltd with 4,245 bags worth $2,143,346.20, Kenyacof Limited followed with 3,207 bags valued at $1,589,020.50, C. Dormans SEZ Ltd secured 2,834 bags for $1,508,764.10, Taylor Winch (Coffee) Limited bought 1,568 bags for $802,009.00 and Mumbi Coffee Merchants Limited purchased 602 bags worth $318,284.18.

The average price across all grades rose to $410 per 50kg bag, equivalent to KSh 163 per kilogram of cherry (gross), marking a 2% increase from the previous auction.

The top price recorded was $502 per 50kg bag, earned by 8 bags of AA-grade coffee from KITHIMA Factory, part of the MITABONI Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) in Machakos County.

Four other lots also hit $500 or more per bag. Some 25 bags of AA-grade coffee from GACHUIRO Factory, under KIAMA FCS in Nyeri County, were sold at $501 per bag, 10 bags of AA-grade coffee from GAKUYU-INI Factory, under THIRIKWA FCS in Kirinyaga County, at $500 per bag and 3 bags from KIANJURI FCS in Meru County, also at $500 per bag.

A few brokers — namely Murang’a Union, Kiambu Coffee, Bungoma Union, and Baringo Kawa — did not make any submissions for this round.