Kenya is renowned for its exceptional coffee quality, but establishing direct purchasing relationships with growers has traditionally been challenging. In the early 2010s, we set out to create alternative pathways to partner directly with small estates that were interested in collaborating. This pursuit led us to Peter Mbature at Kamavindi Estate.

From the beginning, Peter was engaged in improving quality and quickly achieved success, working with his siblings to elevate the coffee at their family’s third-generation farm from good to excellent in just a couple of seasons. We collaborated to navigate logistical and institutional barriers, developing export pathways that began with direct negotiations between roasters and growers. Aiming to reward quality and retain more of coffee's export value at the farm level, Peter began working with his friends and neighbors by providing training in best-quality practices and connecting them with buyers interested in this type of partnership. These training sessions and connections form the foundation of our Kenyan coffee sourcing program today.

In recent years, Peter has advanced this model by starting his own export company, Kamavindi Coffee Lab, which helps small, quality-focused growers connect more directly with specialty buyers. In 2022, utilizing a Seeds grant, Peter built a cupping lab and training center at Kamavindi Estate, where he hosts farmers and organizations eager to improve. The lab enables growers to taste their coffee in a professional setting, helping them understand how different cultivation and post-harvest processing variables impact flavor.

Kamavindi is not only an exceptional representation of the vibrant flavors possible in Kenyan coffee but also a model of what can happen when growers actively shape their supply chain to better reflect their values and vision.