How much money do I need, and when does it pay?
The cash to plant and carry an acre, the year your money dips lowest, the year you break even, and what a mature acre pays. Charted for four kinds of farmer.
The chart is in the guideYou could earn up to KES 378,000 from one acre of coffee.
Year 10, with excellent management. A neglected acre can lose money.
*See the guide for the detailed breakdown.
Test your plan before you plant.
Enter the numbers you are counting on. We check each one against how Kenyan coffee farms perform and show where the plan breaks.
We show where your plan breaks. The right numbers are in the guide.
- What your plan earns each year once the trees mature
- In the guide
- Cash you need at the lowest point
- In the guide
- Year you are back in the black
- In the guide
The figure uses your numbers where they are realistic and the guide's where they are not. It leaves out the cost of buying land and your own labour.
Coffee is paying Kenyan farmers again.
KES 41B earned at the Nairobi auction in the 2025/26 season. 800,000 smallholders already growing it. Cooperatives now pay out in about 5 days.
Sources include Kenya News Agency, The Standard, The Star and Food Business MEA. Full list in the guide.
The market is paying. Whether your acre does depends on a handful of decisions you make before the first seedling goes in.
Four mistakes that sink new coffee farms.
Can you answer all four? The guide gives the numbers and the fix for each one.
Unlock the guideRevealed in the guide
The lease length that decides everything.Do you know how long a coffee plant takes to mature? Would your lease run long enough to cover it?
Revealed in the guide
The wrong cooperative.Do you know which cooperative pays best in your county? Could you spot a weak one before you join?
Revealed in the guide
Running out of cash.Do you know how many years you must fund before the farm feeds itself? Could you carry it that long?
Revealed in the guide
A yield that cannot cover costs.Do you know how many kilos each tree must give before the farm breaks even? Would you notice yours falling short?
Five questions every new coffee farmer asks.
Where do I start?
Altitude, rainfall and soil by region, a site-visit checklist, the variety that fits your land, then a 12-month plan.
Lease or buy?
Which route leaves you better off, and the lease terms that make or break it.
Inside the guide
Who buys my coffee?
How to pick a cooperative, read its audit and follow your cherry to your payout.
What can go wrong?
Disease, drought, low yield, a weak cooperative, running out of cash. Each one ranked, with the signs to watch for and the fix.
- The one-page answer
- Kenya coffee at a glance
- Where to grow
- Choosing your variety
- Land: what to buy or lease
- Establishing the farm
- Caring for the bush
- Harvest and post-harvest
- Where to sell your coffee
- The economics: costs, income and ROI
- Rent or buy?
- Scaling up
- Risks and how to manage them
- Your 12-month action plan
- Tips and tricks
Unlock the guide
15 detailed chapters on farming coffee in Kenya. Every question you have about making money in coffee in Kenya, answered.
Is this guide right for you?
Read it if
- You want to lease or buy 1 to 10 acres and plant coffee
- You already own land and want to know what it can earn
- You are choosing between counties or cooperatives
- You want a plan built on real costs, not motivation
Skip it if
- You need income within 2 years from a new planting
- You cannot tie up money for 5 years or more
- You want a guaranteed return. No farm offers one, and the guide says so
Unlock the full guide
KES
One payment. No subscription.
- 33-page PDF, yours the moment you pay
- 24 charts and the full cost model
- Reads on your phone, works offline
Enter your number, approve the prompt on your phone, download here.
All sales final. Questions first? Chat with us on WhatsApp
Questions before you pay.
Will I lose money farming Coffee?
It can happen. The guide shows a neglected acre losing money and what separates it from a profitable one: yield per tree, the cooperative you join, and cash to last 4 years. The figures leave out land and your own labour. We cannot promise a return.
How long until I harvest?
Ruiru 11 and Batian give a first small crop in year 2 to 3, a real crop in year 4 and a full crop in year 5 to 6. SL28 and SL34 take 3 to 4 years to bear. The guide shows the year you break even for four kinds of farmer.
What if something goes wrong on the farm?
Chapter 7 lists the main diseases and pests with the signs and the fixes. Chapter 13 ranks drought, hail, frost, low yield and a weak cooperative, with what to do for each. Call your extension officer at the first sign.
Can I see more before I pay?
You have seen the chapters and what the guide covers. We keep the numbers inside because they are the product. If you are unsure whether it fits you, ask us on WhatsApp before you pay. It is a digital download, so all sales are final.
Is this a course or a book?
It is a 33-page PDF guide you read at your own pace. No videos, no logins. Open it on any phone or computer.
I do not own land. Can I still use it?
Yes. Leasing needs far less capital than buying, and the guide lists the lease terms to demand: length, rent, who owns the trees, and what happens if the landlord sells or dies.
Does it cover my county?
It covers the Mt Kenya and Aberdares belt, the Rift Valley, western Kenya, Kisii and the lower eastern zones, with what to check in each one before you buy or lease.
Do I need irrigation?
Not in reliable highland rain. In drier zones such as Makueni and Machakos it pays most. Drip costs about KES 20,000 to 80,000 an acre. The guide covers when it is worth it, in brief.
Can I export or get certified?
The guide explains the route most farmers use: deliver cherry to a cooperative, which sells at the Nairobi auction or direct. It covers what direct sales need and mentions Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade at group scale. It is not a full export how-to.
Where do the numbers come from?
Market figures come from published reporting. Yields and costs come from a transparent per-acre model. Every input is marked as sourced or modelled so you can replace it with your own plot data.
Is this financial advice?
No. It is a planning guide. Confirm prices, laws and farming advice with your cooperative, the Coffee Directorate and KALRO before you commit money.
How do I get it after paying?
Right here on this page, as soon as M-Pesa confirms, usually within seconds. If anything stalls, chat with us on WhatsApp and we will send it.
Start with the numbers, not the seedlings.
One payment of . About 0.1% of what a single acre costs to plant.