Kenyan coffee farmers have earned Sh870 million from the latest Nairobi Coffee Exchange auction, with some premium coffee fetching more than Sh50,000 per 50kg bag.
The auction, held on Tuesday, November 3, saw 18,338 bags weighing 1.13 million kilogrammes traded, marking a decline in both sales and earnings compared to the previous week.
According to figures published by the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, the sale generated Sh870 million, down from Sh1.01 billion recorded in the previous auction on October 27.
The overall average price stood at Sh38,449 per 50kg bag, although returns varied depending on the quality and grade of coffee presented to buyers.
Grade AA attracted the highest average price of Sh43,412 per 50kg bag, while Grade AB recorded the highest trading volume, with 8,268 bags selling at an average of Sh41,437.
The highest individual price at the auction reached Sh50,259 per 50kg bag, equivalent to approximately Sh1,005 per kilogramme of clean coffee.
Nairobi Coffee Exchange Chief Executive Officer Lisper Ndung’u said buyers were increasingly interested in quality coffee, with some visiting farmers through their respective factories to assess the produce.
“The buyers at the auction are interested in the quality coffee, with the majority opting to visit the farmers through their respective factories,” she said.
Coffee Board of Kenya Chairman Henry Kinyua urged farmers to increase production and expand their coffee holdings to improve their earnings from the sector.
The latest auction comes after Kenyan coffee farmers recorded Sh41.63 billion in earnings during the 2025/2026 coffee year, which ended on September 30, 2026.
The amount represented an increase of about Sh6 billion compared to the Sh35.6 billion earned during the previous coffee year.
Data from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange showed that approximately 47 million kilogrammes of coffee were traded during the 2025/2026 season through 770,034 bags.
Murang’a was among the counties that recorded notable sales, with its farmers marketing 12,476 bags valued at approximately Sh13.3 million through their cooperative union, according to the Kenya News Agency.
The government has also been pursuing plans to increase annual coffee production from approximately 50,000 metric tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by 2028 through increased planting and support for farmers.
However, the latest auction results show that coffee prices and total earnings can fluctuate from one sale to another, with the quality of beans remaining an important factor in determining the returns.
For farmers, improving production and maintaining high-quality coffee will remain important in securing better prices in the market.