Farmers-Owned Coffee Mill Powers Nandi’s Return as a Leading Coffee Producer

Nandi County is experiencing a strong revival of its coffee sector, with a farmer-owned coffee milling plant at Chebonet emerging as the cornerstone of efforts to increase value addition, strengthen cooperative societies, and improve earnings for thousands of smallholder farmers.

The KSh60 million Nandi Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Union milling plant, located in Songhor-Soba Ward, Tinderet Sub-county, has transformed coffee processing by enabling farmers to mill their produce within the county instead of transporting parchment coffee to processors in other regions.

County officials say the investment has reduced transport costs, improved processing efficiency, strengthened quality assurance, and allowed farmers to retain more value from their coffee while reinforcing the cooperative model.

Speaking on the county’s coffee revival programme, County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr. Benard Lagat described the milling plant as a major milestone in rebuilding Nandi’s coffee industry.

“The Chebonet Coffee Mill is more than a processing facility. It is an economic empowerment project owned by farmers through their cooperative union. By processing our coffee locally, we retain value within Nandi, improve traceability, strengthen quality assurance and connect farmers directly to better-paying markets,” he said.

The facility now serves as the main processing centre for coffee produced by more than 100 primary cooperative societies across Tinderet, Aldai, Chesumei, Mosop, Nandi Hills, and other coffee-growing areas of the county.

Its establishment coincides with renewed confidence in coffee farming following improved prices at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange. Higher returns have encouraged farmers to rehabilitate neglected coffee farms while others have planted new coffee fields, contributing to a steady expansion in acreage.

The county’s coffee production has grown significantly in recent years. During the current marketing season, Nandi marketed more than 2.2 million kilograms of clean coffee valued at approximately KSh1.9 billion, placing the county among Kenya’s top coffee-producing regions.

Officials attribute part of this growth to local processing, which has reduced operational costs and improved transparency by shortening the time between harvesting, milling, and marketing.

The milling plant is equipped to clean, grade, mill, and prepare export-quality coffee. Recent investments, including the installation of a modern weighbridge, have improved accountability in coffee deliveries while enhancing logistics for cooperative societies supplying the facility.

Dr. Lagat said the county government is planning further expansion of the milling plant to accommodate rising production volumes.

“We are preparing for the future because coffee acreage continues to expand every season. The milling plant has adequate room for expansion, and we are progressively investing in equipment that will ensure farmers continue receiving efficient services as volumes increase,” he said.

The county has complemented processing investments with extensive farmer support programmes. More than eight million certified coffee seedlings have been distributed in recent years alongside extension services, agronomic training, and support for cooperative governance.

Improved farming practices have also enhanced bean quality, with county officials reporting that nearly 80 per cent of Nandi’s coffee now attains premium AA and AB grades, enabling farmers to secure higher prices at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.

The coffee revival has generated broader economic benefits across the county. The milling plant has created employment opportunities in transportation, aggregation, milling operations, quality control, and warehouse management, while businesses around Chebonet trading centre have experienced increased commercial activity.

The return of profitable coffee farming has also attracted younger farmers back to the crop, reversing years of declining interest that followed low prices and weak market returns.

Looking ahead, the county government is working with national agencies and development partners to strengthen the coffee value chain through research, mechanisation, farmer capacity building, and the development of additional coffee pulping facilities and transport infrastructure.

County officials say the farmer-owned cooperative model will remain central to Nandi’s coffee strategy, ensuring growers capture a larger share of the value generated from their produce while supporting sustainable rural economic growth.

“Our vision is to make Nandi one of Kenya’s leading coffee-producing counties through a fully integrated, farmer-owned value chain. The Coffee Mill is the foundation of that vision because it allows our farmers to capture more value from every kilogramme of coffee they produce. As production continues to rise, the benefits will spread across households, businesses and the entire county economy,” Dr. Lagat said.