Corporate Headshots Business Portrait :: Kenya Editorial Executive

Corporate Headshots Business Portrait :: Kenya Editorial Executive

Global Coffee Report Rozy Rana of Dormans Coffee on the potential of Kenyan coffee

Corporate Headshots Business Portrait :: Kenya Editorial Executive

Kenya has a “long and complex” history of producing some of the world’s highest-quality Arabica coffee. Over that time, Dormans Coffee Managing Director Rozy Rana has witnessed two very different eras of production.

“When I joined [Dormans Coffee] in the 90s, Kenya’s crop output was about 100,000 tonnes. At one point, there was a big boom and coffee prices rocketed. Farmers did not understand the volatility, which was a function of global demand and supply. Some years later, the crop was on a declining trend. Farmers came out wanting direct sales and a new window opened to allow for this. Unfortunately, the trend has not reversed, and currently, crop output per coffee year is about 40,000 tonnes. It’s a pity,” Rana tells Global Coffee Report. Kenya is ranked as the 16th highest global exporter of coffee, however, Rana says the decline in production is due to a myriad of factors: escalating property prices causing farmers to uproot coffee production in favor of real estate, price volatility, internal wrangles, mismanagement, an aging population and aging coffee trees, disease, regulatory changes, and changing weather patterns, among others.

For several years, Rana says Dormans Coffee has worked closely with the farming community to offer support, husbandry advice, input, climate mitigation training, financing, certification projects, and initiatives including youth and gender-based training to create more opportunities.

“Being part of the coffee industry in Kenya means contributing to the livelihoods of our staff, farmers, and workers who depend on this crop for their income. It is immensely gratifying to know my work directly supports and uplifts local communities,” Rana says.

Despite Dormans Coffee’s best efforts to support Kenya’s future of coffee production, which is largely represented by smallholder farmers, Rana says consumers still see the commodity product as a “luxury item”.

“Of the last domestic consumption report I saw, Finland had the highest per capita consumption of 12 kilograms per year. Kenya’s is 0.04 kilograms per person, representing 5 percent of the country’s entire crop. This indicates that a fairly large percentage of the population is yet to be introduced to the coffee-drinking culture,” she says.