On the second day of their benchmarking tour in Kiambu County, cooperative leaders from Uasin Gishu continued learning best practices in coffee production, processing, value addition, cooperative governance and marketing from some of Kenya’s top-performing coffee cooperatives. The three-day learning mission is expected to conclude tomorrow.

The benchmarking tour forms part of Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii Chelilim’s strategy to revive coffee farming in Uasin Gishu through farmer capacity building, stronger cooperative societies and modern coffee processing infrastructure. The county also plans to establish coffee bulking stations across all six sub-counties.

The delegation also witnessed the immense income potential of coffee farming after learning from a Ndumberi farmer whose three-acre coffee farm earns an estimated KSh 6.75 million in gross sales, demonstrating the profitability of well-managed coffee farming.

The delegation, led by Principal Coffee Officer Nicholas Maritim, is visiting successful cooperatives and model farms to learn best practices in cooperative management, stakeholder collaboration and solutions to production and marketing challenges. Uasin Gishu currently has about 1,221 hectares under coffee.

One of the key learning stops was Ndumberi Coffee Growers Cooperative Society Ltd, established in 1960, which has grown to serve more than 2,100 farmers through three coffee factories. Chairman Fred Kinyanjui attributed the cooperative’s success to strong leadership, sound cooperative governance, continuous farmer training and strict adherence to quality standards.

The delegation also received technical training from Linkage Africa Group, led by Eng. Clement Mutie, on the operation of modern eco-pulpers and the coffee processing chain. The eco-pulpers can process up to four tonnes of coffee per hour while recycling and reusing water, significantly reducing water consumption and operating costs. Participants also learned about coffee grading, certification for export markets and proper post-harvest handling, including the use of raised drying beds to preserve bean quality.

The knowledge gained from the benchmarking tour is expected to strengthen Uasin Gishu’s coffee cooperatives, improve coffee quality, enhance value addition and increase farmers’ incomes as the county continues implementing its coffee revival programme.