Kitale Coffee Company

Curator's Notes

Historically, Kenyan coffee has been a bit of a challenge to the direct trade model. More than 90% of coffee from Kenya is sold through auction, which effectively sets prices and offers a high degree of transparency and quality control but doesn't allow producers to communicate and negotiate with buyers. Nevertheless, there is a small but growing movement to educate Kenyan growers on how to sell direct, and connect producers and grower co-ops directly to buyers. This is great for small producers and great for the coffee market. This is why I was excited to meet the founders of Kitale, whose close, direct relationships with Kenyan producers is a rarity in the coffee world. Kitale's coffees have already given me a chance to try a larger variety of Kenyan coffees, from growing regions I'm less familiar with, and every sip makes me feel good about the impact of their sourcing model. If you love Kenyan coffee, you're in the right place!

From the Roaster

We (Paul, Julius, Wanjala) grew up on coffee farms on the Western highlands of Kenya and have a reverence for the coffee plant, for we have seen it support countless families. We also have a great appreciation for lovers of coffee, as that love truly makes a difference in many farmers lives. Our goal with Kitale is to showcase great coffees from lesser-known regions in Kenya, while also bringing to market the familiar specialty Kenyan profiles. We are deeply invested in strengthening our direct relationships at origin and are focused on prioritizing small-holder farmers. We hope that this journey allows us to bring you great coffees, uplift farmers, and feed our inner coffee souls. We truly appreciate you stopping by.