Multimillion-coffee mill to begin operations next month

Embu Deputy Speaker Steve Simba (right) and Embu Senator Njeru Ndwiga (second right) inspect coffee beans spread out to dry at Kiviuvi Farmers Cooperative Society on January 7, 2019 (Joseph Muchiri, Standard)

EMBU, KENYA: A multi-million coffee mill put up by Embu farmers will roar into operations next month, marking a shift in value addition and promising growers better returns for their produce.

Governor Martin Wambora revealed the Kavutiri based mill was ready with machineries, go downs and all facilities in place, awaiting the installation of a transformer before commissioning.

The mill is a joint venture of 24 cooperative societies and the Embu County Government and cost over Sh130 million.

According to Wambora, the mill will enable the processing of parchment up to packaging ready for export.

“Once we start milling and marketing our coffee as a specialty, farmers will earn not less than Sh100 per kilogram of coffee. We have secured international buyers who will purchase Embu specialty coffee that has already been value added,” said Wambora while at Kevote area.

Currently, each cooperative society wet mills the coffee berries, a process that involves removing the outer husk and drying the beans then selling them to various millers.

By milling their coffee jointly they will save the money that ends up as miller’s margin.

Cooperatives hope to reduce expenses of milling and transporting coffee by up to 30 percent once the county begins to mill own coffee.

Wambora said his government has laid out marketing strategies that will involve reaching out to major international buyers to directly purchase the coffee produced in Embu.

He said several overseas investors had expressed preference for the Embu coffee and would offer better prices than that offered at local auctions.

The county chief said marketing the coffee jointly would enable attaining the volumes that some international buyers want.

Embu annual coffee production averages 14 million kilograms.

The county has already issued 20,000 batian seedlings to farmers to boost production.

The variety is rated as fast maturing and disease resistant.

Cooperatives official say with proper husbandry, production from the nine million coffee trees in the county could reach 45 million kilograms.