Kenyans drinking more coffee, but tea still the favourite
Domestic coffee consumption, but tea is still Kenya's main beverage.
Domestic coffee consumption jumped 19.1 percent last year to a record high, signalling growing demand for the beverage in a society where tea is the main drink.
Data from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) shows that domestic consumption of the beverage reached 2,051 tonnes in the year to June 2023, up from 1,722 tonnes the previous year.
This extends year-on-year growth in local coffee consumption for more than eight years, even as government officials seek to promote local consumption of the beverage.
“Apart from promoting Kenyan coffee internationally, we need to encourage local consumption of coffee. Looking at leading coffee-producing countries such as Ethiopia and Columbia, drinking coffee is part of the local culture. We need to do this in Kenya as coffee is a key product,” said AFA director-general Bruno Linyiru.
Mr Linyiru was speaking at a ceremony on Wednesday where AFA’s Coffee Directorate and the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (Keproba) signed a collaboration agreement that will see the two coordinate Kenya’s marketing efforts in emerging and established coffee markets.
“The partnership will equip local coffee producers with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to succeed in the global market,” said Keproba CEO Floice Mukabana.
Much of the locally grown coffee is exported, mainly to Europe and the US. About 97 percent of the beans are exported in raw form.
However, Kenya has seen a steady growth in the number of local coffee roasters, while consumers are also increasingly demanding coffee, especially high quality coffee.
This demand has led to the number of local coffee shops more than tripling from just 231 in 2019 to 791 in 2023 to tap into this growing market, according to AFA.
“The development in consumer taste for coffee and a consistent supply of high-quality processed coffee has led to the creation of more coffee consumption outlets as a result of the growing number of stakeholders participating in value addition,” said the State agency.
“Major hotels and coffee shops seem to be driving domestic consumption.”
Tea is Kenya’s main beverage, with consumption totalling about 38,400 tonnes in 2021, according to data from the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK).
Its lower price when compared to coffee makes it more widely accessible especially to poor households, with the high price of coffee deterring some consumers.
For instance, 500g of loose tea leaves sells at about Sh239 in one of the local supermarkets. In contrast, just 50g of instant coffee sells at Sh375 in the same supermarket.
