International Coffee Day 2025: Industry leaders call for increased local consumption to boost sales
By Sandra Neddy
“We cannot be saying we are producing the best coffee in the world, then we are not taking it.”
These were the words of Principal Secretary (PS) in the State Department of Cooperatives, Patrick Kilemi, to highlight the irony facing Kenya’s coffee sector.
Speaking during the 2025 International Coffee Day celebrations on 1st October 2025 at Utalii Hotel in Nairobi, Kilemi urged Kenyans to embrace a coffee-drinking culture, part of the wider efforts to revitalize the sector.
According to the PS, Kenya has built a global reputation for its premium arabica coffee, yet back at home, Kenyans consume a very small fraction of what they produce.
Kenya’s coffee consumption gap
According to the International Coffee Organization, Africa contributes about 10% of global coffee exports, but the domestic consumption is low except for Ethiopia. Despite being Africa’s largest producer of coffee, more than half of Ethiopia’s coffee is consumed locally, and only a percentage is exported.
On the other hand, Kenya exports the majority of its coffee, approximately 95%, leaving only about 5% for domestic consumption.
Similarly, a 2024 report titled Kenya’s Coffee Development and Marketing Strategy highlights that an average Kenyan consumes only 0.036 kilograms of coffee each year compared to Ethiopians, who consume 2.6 kilograms per person annually.
This difference showcases Kenya’s weak domestic market despite the fact that it produces some of the world’s most celebrated coffees.
Consequences of overreliance on exports
This overreliance on international markets tends to make Kenyan farmers more vulnerable to the constantly fluctuating global prices and demand cycles.
Additionally, Kenya’s economic potential is greatly interfered with. “The biggest market for coffee is inside Kenya, domestic consumption. When we export coffee as coffee beans, we are exporting jobs. We need to work on local consumption,” said PS Kilemi, emphasizing that strengthening domestic consumption would not only add value to farmers but also boost the economic potential of the country.
Support for domestic consumption by sector leaders
Industry leaders agree that domestic consumption could be the missing link to fully reviving Kenya’s coffee sector.
New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (New KPCU) Managing Director Timothy Mirugi backed the PS’s sentiments urging Kenyans to rally behind their own farmers by embracing a coffee-drinking culture.
“Today the rally call, as the PS has mentioned, is to increase production but also create a market for that production through an increase in domestic consumption,” he said.
Young people key to driving local coffee culture
PS Patrick Kilemi emphasized that Gen Z holds the key to growing domestic coffee consumption, urging aggressive marketing on platforms like Instagram and TikTok in voices and languages they relate to.
“Our potential is in young people. Let’s market coffee in the forums and languages they understand,” he said.
Efforts to revitalize Kenya’s coffee sector
Kenya’s coffee production, which peaked at 150,000 metric tonnes between the 1970s and 1990s, later dropped to just 30,000 metric tonnes, PS Patrick Kilemi said, blaming weak value transmission to farmers.
Reforms such as the Coffee Bill 2024 and Cooperative Bill 2024—now awaiting presidential assent—are restoring hope. The Cherry Advance Revolving Fund has expanded from KSh 20 million to over KSh 9 billion, benefiting more than 590,000 farmers, while the Direct Settlement System (DSS) ensures timely payments.
“As we speak today, our production is going up. We are looking at maybe closing this year at around 60 to 70 metric tonnes. The target is to get to 150,000 metric tonnes in the next three years,” said Kilemi, crediting reforms championed by President Ruto’s government.
Looking ahead
Kenya aims to hit 150,000 metric tonnes of coffee annually in three years, with domestic consumption seen as key. Greater local uptake would boost farmer incomes, create jobs across the value chain, and strengthen the economy.
The message at this year’s International Coffee Day was clear: the future of Kenyan coffee depends not just on global demand but on Kenyans drinking their own brew.