The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) was present at the inaugural Kahawa Conversation, which kicked off this morning as part of the Kenya Coffee Hub 2026 launch. KNCCI was represented by National Director Cynthia Nyawira, who attended on behalf of the Chamber.

KNCCI lauded the initiative, emphasising that conversations of this nature must be held at source,  where the coffee originates, rather than in Europe or other consuming markets. The Chamber described the event as timely and well-placed to shift the terms of Kenya’s coffee trade to Nairobi’s advantage.

National Director Nyawira called on Kenya to exploit emerging and frontier markets, singling out Kazakhstan as a concrete opportunity. KNCCI recently organised a trade mission to Kazakhstan, demonstrating the Chamber’s commitment to opening new commercial corridors for Kenyan exporters beyond traditional markets.

She further invited players across the coffee value chain, including cooperatives, exporters, processors, and traders, to participate in upcoming KNCCI trade missions, including planned missions to Canada, Brussels, and other destinations, positioning these as direct pathways to new buyers.

KNCCI underscored the broader significance of the Kenya Coffee Hub as a structural opportunity for the country. Kenya earned USD 297 million from coffee exports in 2025, selling to 59 countries, yet has never hosted an at-origin trade convention, a gap the Hub directly addresses. International buyers are willing to pay a premium of 30 to 50 percent when they experience a coffee at its origin, making Nairobi the right venue for these transactions.

The Chamber noted that the Hub consolidates sourcing across East Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Burundi, and DRC, into a single Nairobi destination, reducing the need for buyers to make five or more separate country visits. Smaller cooperatives benefit particularly, as they can exhibit on home ground at local cost, directly in front of verified international buyers with active sourcing budgets.

With the USDA projecting Kenyan coffee exports of 940,000 bags (56,400 metric tonnes) in 2026, a nearly 12 percent increase, KNCCI affirmed that more coffee will be available to sell this year, and the Kenya Coffee Hub is the platform through which that value should be negotiated here, not elsewhere.

KNCCI serves as a founding advisor to the Kenya Coffee Hub, represented through the Chamber’s Global Strategy, Business Development and Partnerships leadership. The Chamber called on government agencies, the Agriculture and Food Authority, licensed exporters, and the financial sector to rally behind the initiative.

“Kenya is a global coffee brand. It is time we owned te conversation that tells that story — on our terms, from our soil,” She said.