- Sale 40 moves thousands of coffee bags worth hundreds of millions
- Buyers compete for premium Kenyan coffee grades at the auction
- Marketing agents and leading buyers post varied trading volumes
Sale 40 of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) traded 16,994 bags worth Ksh860.3 million, as buyers competed for high-grade Kenyan coffee on September 15.
The auction, held on September 15, 2026, moved a combined 1,048,871 kg of coffee. In dollar terms, the day’s trading was valued at USD 6.6 million, converted at an exchange rate of Ksh129.53 to the dollar. Overall, the average price settled at USD 316.64 per 50kg bag. Meanwhile, prices ranged widely across the floor, from a high of USD 408.00 to a low of USD 52.00 per bag, underlining the gap between premium and lower-grade lots.
New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union PLC (New KPCU) once again topped the marketing agents’ table. The firm handled 5,804 bags, weighing 355,101 kg, and achieved an average price of USD 325.22 per 50kg bag. Its portfolio was valued at USD 2.3 million, cementing its lead position in the auction.
Alliance Berries Limited came in second, moving 2,247 bags weighing 139,928 kg at an average of USD 310.84 per bag. Kipkelion Broker Company Ltd followed closely, handling 1,523 bags weighing 94,397 kg at USD 344.93 per bag, the highest average among the top agents. KCCE Marketing Agency Limited then marketed 1,537 bags weighing 96,201 kg at USD 295.39 per bag, while Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage Company Ltd rounded off the leading agents with 1,139 bags weighing 70,216 kg at USD 293.41 per bag.
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On the buying side, Ibero Kenya Ltd led all purchases with 3,859 bags. C. Dormans SEZ Ltd followed with 3,085 bags, while Global Mark Foods Ltd secured 2,617 bags. Kenyacof Limited and Sasini K Limited rounded off the top five buyers, picking up 1,471 and 1,323 bags respectively.
By volume, grade AB dominated the auction, accounting for 7,027 bags at an average price of USD 350.63 per bag. However, grade AA proved the most valuable, fetching the highest average price of USD 358.52 per bag across 2,212 bags. Notably, the auction’s top individual price of USD 408.00 reflects the strong premium buyers continue to place on quality Kenyan beans.
Other grades traded at varying volumes and prices. Grade C moved 3,826 bags at USD 308.31 per bag, followed by grade T with 720 bags at USD 220.44. Smaller lots included UG1 (377 bags, USD 289.75), TT (201 bags, USD 290.72), PB (651 bags, USD 346.15) and UG2, which recorded the lowest average price at USD 151.87 per bag across 409 bags.
By Benedict Aoya
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