Coffee is one of the agricultural products that is central to Kenya’s export industry and serves as a source of livelihood for many Kenyans. Mukurima Muriuki is one of many Kenyans whose lives have been influenced greatly by coffee. When he left home to further his dreams abroad, he carried with him meaningful memories of coffee farming that drove him to pioneer change and champion the popular Kenyan mantra that kahawa ni ya kwetu.
Childhood Stories of Coffee
Mukurima grew up in the well-watered, lush countryside of Kirinyaga County. A last born of three, he was raised on his grandfather’s bountiful coffee farm where he enjoyed the abundance of compelling stories his grandfather had collected over the years as he savoured the flavourful and fragrant coffee that was a tradition in their home.
Among the stories his grandfather shared with him was the origin and economic development of coffee farming starting way back in the colonial era.
Mukurima continued helping his grandfather out with taxing farmwork. His grandfather was a hardworking farmer who, unfortunately, didn’t smile on paydays as he should have and had to cut down all his coffee plants after years of frustration. Having witnessed his grandfather’s discouragement, young Mukurima vowed to find a way to help coffee farmers like his grandfather.
Though he left his farming days behind in 2011, the plight of coffee farmers never left his mind. Mukurima flew out to Los Angeles in the US to pursue a master’s degree. Before enrolling in the degree, he worked in various companies and organisations as an accounting and finance professional. Two years later, in 2013, he joined California State University, Dominguez Hills, for a Masters in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, and Peacebuilding.
Remembering Home
Even miles away from home, the nutty brewed bean coffee aroma lingered in Mukurima’s memory.
One day, as he was on errands, he spotted a made-in-Kenya packet of coffee, and his mind buzzed with reminiscence. He bought it immediately and couldn’t wait to savour a taste of home.
To his disappointment, the coffee was bland and nowhere near Kenyan coffee’s aromatic and exquisite goodness. There was no way this could have been from his home. In addition, Mukurima found that the coffee abroad was sold at a premium price and discovered through research that 90% of global coffee exports originate from developing countries like Kenya. And while it takes massive energy and resources to yield berries that tantalise the world’s diverse taste buds, only 1% of the retail price from sales reaches the calloused, hardworking hands of coffee farmers. This puzzled him as the high prices did not seem to lead to fair compensation for the heavy coffee farmwork he engaged in back home in Kirinyaga. When asked where to get authentic coffee from Kirinyaga, Mukurima was at a loss and his fire for coffee was ignited as he sprung to action.
Rewriting Farmers’ Stories with the African Coffee Club
A deeper dive into why the quality coffee he grew up picking and drinking with his grandfather did not translate to a delightful drink overseas yielded discrepancies in the supply chain process.
In January 2018, with the help of a friend, Mukurima established the African Coffee Club in Los Angeles to fix the supply chain process that’s often rigged against the farmer and help African coffee farmers get fairer wages from their produce.
With the African Coffee Club, Mukurima established a direct-to-consumer subscription. Since its establishment, the club has been producing single-origin bags of quality coffee from berries sourced directly from farmers in Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo among other African countries.
To ensure the integrity of the procurement and supply chain process, Mukurima’s team sends reports on pricing alongside what the farmers earn to all the stakeholders on their mailing lists. To add to the transparency of the process, all the coffee being sold by the Africa Coffee Club is available on their website, complete with prices and their packaging, be it single bags, subscriptions, or gift boxes.
Despite Mukurima’s spin-off into entrepreneurship, he never veered off his initial path of conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Outside Africa Coffee Club, he helps organisations and companies resolve conflicts amicably. Coffee has strengthened his resolve, as he leans into the fact that sharing a cup of this beverage is understood universally as a symbol of agreement, friendship, and peace.
Mukurima has put smiles on countless faces through the African Coffee Club – club subscribers and consumers alike. His advocacy for farmers and unmatchable Kenyan coffee is disrupting the coffee industry and giving hope to stakeholders in this sector back home and beyond.
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