Nairobi Coffee Exchange

What Nairobi Coffee Exchange does

Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) is Kenya's central regulated auction marketplace for green Arabica coffee, operating weekly live auction sessions every Tuesday at 8:00 AM EAT at the Wakulima House trading floor in Nairobi. Licensed brokers list graded coffee lots on behalf of growers, cooperatives, and estates, and AFA-licensed buyers submit real-time competitive bids through the NCE Trading Portal, an electronic auction system built on the Kosmos/Aucxis platform that supports live bidding, lot catalogues, price discovery, and transaction recording. Settlement is executed through the Direct Settlement System (DSS), a banking facility operated by Co-operative Bank of Kenya with CMA approval, which distributes auction proceeds to growers net of statutory deductions within prescribed timelines under the Capital Markets (Coffee Exchange) Regulations 2020.

The exchange is supervised by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA) and the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), with all growers, millers, brokers, and buyers required to hold AFA licenses and brokers additionally licensed by CMA. NCE's product surface extends beyond the core trading portal to include the Auction Calendar, Market Reports, Transaction Listing PDFs, a Market Data Dashboard, a Coffee Grades Guide, and a Kenya Coffee Origin County Selector for regional education. Revenue is generated through transaction fees on auction trades; specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed and the entity functions as a regulated market utility rather than a commercial profit-maximizing enterprise. The latest reported auction (10 February 2026) cleared 12,400,000 kg at a 92% clearance rate, with a smaller weekly sale cited at 3,750 kg totaling KES 1.2M, illustrating the seasonal variability of throughput.

NCE's ecosystem connects a vertically structured stakeholder base spanning growers, cooperatives, licensed millers, licensed warehousemen, licensed brokers, licensed buyers and roasters, and financiers, supported by partnerships with government bodies (State House Kenya, Ministry of Agriculture, National Treasury, Council of Governors), regulatory authorities (CMA, AFA, CBK), financial partners (Co-operative Bank, Commodities Fund, New KPCU), and industry associations (CBAK, NACCU, KCTA, KCPA).

Name

Nairobi Coffee Exchange

Legal name

Nairobi Coffee Exchange

Website

https://nairobicoffeeexchange.co.ke

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nairobi Coffee Exchange operates Kenya's central regulated coffee auction marketplace, conducting weekly Tuesday auction sessions where licensed brokers sell graded Arabica lots to AFA-licensed buyers via the NCE Trading Portal, with settlement through the Co-operative Bank-operated Direct Settlement System under CMA oversight.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commodity Exchange / Coffee Auction Services

NAICS

Commodity Contracts Intermediation (523160), Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (42512)

SIC

Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD)

Keywords

• Coffee auction marketplace
• Commodity exchange services
• Agricultural trading platform
• Coffee price discovery
• Settlement system services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Auction Transaction Fees: NCE facilitates coffee auctions and earns revenue through transaction fees charged on trades conducted through the exchange. The exchange operates under Capital Markets Authority oversight and regulatory framework.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nairobi Coffee Exchange operates Kenya's central regulated coffee auction marketplace, where licensed brokers sell graded Arabica coffee lots on behalf of growers and cooperatives to licensed buyers through weekly live auction sessions conducted via the NCE Trading Portal. Settlement of auction proceeds is handled through the Direct Settlement System (DSS) operated by Co-operative Bank of Kenya, with the exchange operating under Capital Markets Authority and Agriculture and Food Authority oversight.

Product overview

Nairobi Coffee Exchange operates a single unified auction marketplace for Kenya's high-quality Arabica coffee, consisting of the core NCE Trading Portal for live online auctions supplemented by the Direct Settlement System (DSS) for payment processing, the Auction Calendar for session scheduling, and various reporting tools including Market Reports, Transaction Listing, and Market Data Dashboard. Additional offerings include the Coffee Grades Guide for classification education and the Kenya Coffee Origin County Selector for regional information. The ecosystem connects licensed brokers, buyers, cooperatives, and growers through structured, CMA-regulated trading under AFA oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCE Trading Portal Online auction platform that enables licensed brokers to list graded coffee lots and licensed buyers to place real-time bids during weekly auction sessions, with trade recording and price discovery under CMA and AFA oversight.
• Direct Settlement System (DSS) Banking facility provided by Co-operative Bank of Kenya for transparent settlement and secure payment distribution of coffee auction proceeds to growers, with audit trails and statutory deduction handling.
• Auction Calendar Published schedule of weekly coffee auction sessions, typically held every Tuesday at 8:00 AM EAT at the NCE Trading Floor in Nairobi.
• Market Reports Weekly auction summaries, market outlooks, and price updates including grade-level data and final sales summaries per coffee grade.
• Transaction Listing Official records of auction trades, settlement records, and transaction history available as downloadable PDF documents for transparency and reporting.
• Market Data Dashboard Official weekly market summaries and grade-level pricing snapshots displaying volume traded, clearance rates, and latest auction information.
• Upcoming Sales Scheduled coffee sale session details including start/end times, venue information, and links to sale documentation for upcoming auctions.
• Buyer Registration System Online registration portal for prospective AFA-licensed buyers with completed onboarding support for auction participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 92% auction clearance rate demonstrating market efficiency

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered high, critical and moderate.

• State House KenyahighOthersPresidential office providing highest-level government oversight and policy direction for Kenya's coffee sector.
• Ministry of Co-operatives & MSMEshighOthersGovernment ministry overseeing cooperative societies and micro/small/medium enterprises, including coffee cooperatives.
• The National TreasuryhighOthersGovernment treasury responsible for national economic policy and budget oversight affecting the coffee exchange.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock DevelopmenthighOthersGovernment ministry providing agricultural policy direction and support for Kenya's coffee industry.
• Capital Markets Authority (CMA)criticalOthersPrimary regulator supervising exchange operations and ensuring compliance with Capital Markets (Coffee Exchange) Regulations, 2020. Approves exchange operations and DSS provider.
• Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)criticalOthersRegulatory body licensing growers, coffee millers, and brokers. Sets production standards and coffee industry regulations.
• Council of GovernorsmoderateOthersRepresents county governments supporting devolved coordination for coffee value-chain programmes.
• Warehouse Receipt System Council (WRSC)moderateTechnology or IntegrationGovernment body overseeing warehouse receipt systems that complement NCE's storage and inventory verification processes.
• Central Bank of Kenya (CBK)criticalOthersCentral bank overseeing the commercial banking system including the DSS provider (Co-operative Bank). Oversees financial system stability.
• Coffee Brokers Association of Kenya (CBAK)highStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association of licensed coffee brokers working within NCE framework under CMA oversight.
• National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU)highStrategic or Co-development PartnerUmbrella organization representing coffee cooperatives, aggregating smallholder farmers' production for milling and auction.
• Kenya Coffee Traders Association (KCTA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association representing coffee traders and exporters in Kenya's coffee sector.
• Kenya Coffee Producers Association (KCPA)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation representing coffee producers, advocating for grower interests in the NCE ecosystem.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• CME Group: Major global derivatives exchange offering benchmark commodity futures including coffee. Broad incumbent operating at much larger scale with diversified commodity portfolio, serving similar international coffee trade participants.
• B3 (Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão): Brazil's main securities and commodity exchange, trading coffee contracts. Broad incumbent in the global coffee trading ecosystem serving international market participants, though at much larger scale with diversified product offerings.
• Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): Global commodity exchange operator running the benchmark Arabica coffee futures contract ('KC'). Operates a far larger and more diversified platform, but trades the same underlying commodity and serves similar international coffee market participants.

Direct peers

• Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX): Ethiopia's central commodity exchange trading coffee alongside other agricultural commodities. Most direct peer given similar role as a national commodity auction marketplace in East Africa, with comparable regulatory structure and trading portal model.
• Agricultural Commodity Exchange for Africa (ACE): African commodity exchange focused on smallholder agricultural produce with electronic warehouse receipt systems. Comparable as a regional African commodity trading platform with similar smallholder-inclusive mission and regulatory-backed settlement infrastructure.

Others

• Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM): Japanese commodity exchange historically trading Arabica coffee futures. Adjacent peer providing Asian market access to coffee trading, though not directly competing in the same geography; relevant as another exchange serving global coffee price discovery.

Regional players

• Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA): Uganda's coffee regulatory authority that oversees coffee marketing, quality, and auction activities. Regional peer in East African coffee trade with overlapping regulatory and market facilitation functions but operating under different national framework.
• Zimbabwe Mercantile Exchange (ZMX): Zimbabwe's commodity exchange for agricultural products. Regional African peer operating a regulated commodity auction marketplace with electronic trading infrastructure, though focused on broader agricultural commodities rather than coffee alone.
• Rwanda National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB) Coffee Auctions: Rwanda's coffee auction organizer through its Cup of Excellence and regular specialty coffee auctions. Regional peer in East African premium coffee auctions with similar focus on specialty Arabica and transparent price discovery.
• Tanzania Coffee Board: Tanzania's regulatory body and auction organizer for coffee. Regional peer operating the Moshi Coffee Exchange for Tanzanian coffee auctions, competing for East African coffee volumes with similar regulatory and auction-driven model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncoffeeexchange

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nairobi Coffee Exchange