Kenya has officially launched its first shipment of premium green coffee beans to Italy, marking a new phase in the country’s push into high-value European markets with a consignment priced at more than USD 9.50 per kilogram and bound for the Italian port of Trieste from Nairobi on 15 July 2026.
The inaugural shipment, flagged off at the Mitchell Cotts LC1 Warehouse on Nairobi’s Mombasa Road, is the first of 20 planned containers of Kenyan coffee headed to Italy’s Port of Trieste, according to the country’s State Department for Trade and State Department for Cooperatives as reported by Capital FM Kenya and The Star.
The consignment is being exported by Sumseron Coffee & Tea Limited, a corporate member of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), according to a report from Farmers Review Africa. KNCCI President Dr. Erick Rutto described the deal as “incredibly fulfilling,” stating that opening up the Italian market “proves that when public and private entities align, we unlock historic value,” and noting that premium Kenyan coffee in this first shipment is fetching upwards of USD 9.50 per kilogram.
Italian buyers are a significant target for this strategy: the Italian coffee market is assessed as Europe’s third-largest and is valued at approximately KES 500 billion, according to Capital FM Kenya and The Star. Farmers Review Africa further reports that the wider European Union coffee market is estimated to be worth more than KES 6 trillion, situating the Trieste-bound volumes within a much larger commercial landscape.
Kenya’s coffee sector authorities are framing the shipment as part of a broader realignment towards premium export markets and compliance-focused trade. Earlier in 2026, the country prepared its first European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)-ready coffee shipment, reflecting growing European buyer demand for traceability and sustainability, according to Pulse Kenya.
On the production side, the Government of Kenya has set a target of raising annual coffee output to 150,000 metric tonnes by 2029, up from a current level of around 50,000 metric tonnes, KNCCI President Dr. Rutto stated in comments reported by Farmers Review Africa. In a separate 2025 speech posted on the KNCCI website, he cited coffee cherry prices in Kenya ranging from Ksh80 to Ksh149 per kilogram, underlining the domestic context in which new export earnings in United States dollars are being sought.
The Italian deal is also being positioned within Kenya’s wider trade diplomacy. The Star and the Kenya News Agency report that Kenya is leveraging the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to expand intra-African trade, while Capital FM Kenya and The Star note that the State Department for Trade is actively pursuing an Early Harvest Arrangement with China and exploring additional markets in Japan, Algeria and Kazakhstan.
Farmers Review Africa adds that KNCCI is looking beyond Italy to identify further export opportunities across Central and Eastern Europe, suggesting that the Trieste-bound containers are intended as a starting point for deeper engagement with European buyers who are increasingly attentive to both quality and regulatory compliance.
According to reports from Capital FM Kenya, The Star, Farmers Review Africa and Pulse Kenya, the remaining 19 containers of the Italian consignment are scheduled to follow this first shipment, embedding Kenya’s premium coffee more firmly into one of Europe’s largest and most competitive consuming markets.
