Fact sheet: Coffee pulping to lift smallholder earnings 6x

: 02 May 2020; Hits: 8372

Fact sheet: Coffee pulping to lift smallholder earnings 6x

By Christine Mwaura

pulper Kenya’s coffee production and yields increased in 2019 following the government and counties’ distribution of free tree seedlings. But the biggest cause of farmers’ flight from coffee has been prices too low for smallholders’ survival. However, value addition, by processing beans on the farm, can lift the value of small-hold coffee crops six-fold.

In 2014, The Nation cited coffee farmer Grace Mwangi as processing the beans from 8 acres and earning over Sh30,000 per 50kg compared with little more than Sh5,000 for 50kg of raw beans. The kind of coffee pulper Grace was using can be bought for as little as Sh100,000, although the price depends on its size. But this kind of pricing makes coffee pulping an upgrade that pays for itself rapidly.

According to the 2020 Economic Survey the average coffee yield in 2019 was 347 kgs per hectare, meaning that a single hectare’s crop would generate an extra Sh175,000 in just one season through being processed on the farm, covering the cost of a pulper with just one crop.

Below are the contacts and prices being offered by some of the country’s leading suppliers of coffee pulp machines:

Modtec Engineering Kenya

Models: Jua Kali

Price: Sh100,000 to Sh450,000, complete unit coffee pulping machine and yearly services,

Features: High speed, single and double disk, manual, and electrical

Contact: 0739211820

Coffee Agriwork

Models: locally made

Price: Sh120,000 - Sh180,000

Features: The primary unit has a capacity of 1,200KGS/HR of coffee cherry. Various model have up-to 5,000KG/HR of coffee cherry. Comes with either engine or electric motors. Uses petrol or electricity.

Contacts: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

P.O. Box 64548-00620, Nairobi, Kenya

0724738959, 0731803913

McKinnon Machines Kenya

Model: McKinnon from India

Price: Sh130,000 - Sh6m depending on capacity

Features: Min disk, Engine Motor, and manual

Contacts: 0722957051, 0733957138

Marina Machineries (K) Ltd.

Models: Marina

Price: Sh175,000 - Sh300,000

Features: Multi disks