Coffee Farmers, industry players, and international partners converged in Nairobi for the Taste of Harvest Coffee Competition award ceremony, an annual coffee quality competition that serves as a key platform highlighting excellence across Kenya’s coffee value chain.
In his speech read by Food Crops Directorate Director Mr. Calistus Kundu, AFA Director General Dr. Bruno Linyiru MBS, said in line with Government priorities, AFA is supporting not only the Taste of Harvest Coffee Competition but also several other initiatives and implementing targeted interventions to increase production, productivity, and farmer incomes, while safeguarding quality and market access.
The Director General added that the Authority has advanced digitalization and traceability efforts, including ongoing work towards a National Coffee Information System, to improve data management, market transparency, and compliance with emerging international sustainability and traceability requirements.
Present during the ceremony was Ministry of Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh represented by Director in charge of State Corporations Mr. James Wanjohi. The PS underscored the importance of the coffee subsector to Kenya’s economy, noting that it supports over six million coffee growing families and approximately 800,000 smallholder farmers he said, adding that Kenya’s coffee remains internationally recognized for its distinctive flavor and consistency.
Participation in this year’s national competition rose to 100 samples, up from 56 last year, following the waiver of the entry fee— made possible by sponsorship from Agriculture and Food Authority— which encouraged more submissions.
During the ceremony 10 winning samples from four different categories were awarded and will be competing at the regional level in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in early February. Africa Fine Coffees Association (AFCA), who are the initiators of Taste of Harvest Coffee Competition, AFA Board representative Ms. Lucy Njine Maina, Coffee Directorate Director Mr. Felix Mutwiri and coffee subsector stakeholders were among those present during the award ceremony.
