Coffee connections with Kenya

By Duyen Cao

The Kenyan High Commissioner met with Brisbane coffee merchants at The Coffee Commune recently to discuss bringing Kenyan beans to the coffee lovers of Brisbane.

Ambassador Dr Wilson Kogo, the Kenyan High Commissioner, said that the Kenyan government has serious plans for the global growth of its coffee industry.

“Even the regions that were not growing coffee before are now growing coffee…for us, agriculture is the pillar of our economy,” Ambassador Kogo said.

“We want to take coffee to another level. We want to think of Kenya as the main brand of coffee for the Olympics in Brisbane.

“The future is coffee, and Kenya is coffee.”

Lawrence M’Mbijiwe, chairman of the Kenya Coffee Consortium QLD, said that coffee farmers in Kenya are struggling to break even with recent price increases and hidden fees.

“The top brand of coffee is costing around 1138 Kenyan shillings, which is around $8.83 AUD…but after [selling] it comes to 92 cents per kilo,” Mr M’Mbijiwe said.

“You want to tell me that the government is taking all that money? No, it’s those middlemen.

“The Kenyan government at the moment is looking for markets who will go and deal with farmers directly.”

Phillip Di Bella, owner of the Coffee Commune, a coffee community hub, said that his business buys beans from all over the world, but Kenyan coffee has been expensive to source due to inconsistent supply and fair-trade taxes.

“Kenyan coffee is very good and high-grade…the price of the coffee does not depict its quality, it’s more about the supply chain,” Mr Di Bella said.

“For many years what we’ve been trying to do is go direct with the farmers so that we can pay the farmer more, and get the product cheaper…and cut out as many middlemen (as we can).”

While the Kenya and Brisbane collaboration is on the horizon, another attractive opportunity for both parties is the potential for Kenyan coffee professionals to migrate to Australia. 

“We have a very young, energetic population that have the skills and are very educated… they grew up in the coffee bushes so they understand what coffee is all about,” Ambassador Kogo said.

“This is the start of a good beginning to a working relationship.” The Kenyan High Commissioner and the Coffee Commune are planning further discussions to engage the Brisbane and Queensland government leadership.