The Kenya Planters’ Co-operative Union Limited

It is also a unique institution because it is wholly owned by coffee farmers who vote in the leadership or management at all levels from the grassroots to the national office. KPCU boasts more than 70 years of experience in the production and processing of coffee and representing the interests of Kenya’s farmers on all fronts.

Indeed, all coffee farmers in Kenya are shareholders of KPCU, with the membership of the union consisting of 3,000 plantation farmers and over 700,000 small-scale farmers who are represented through more than 600 co-operative societies. Kenya’s coffee growing regions are divided into 15 electoral districts, each of which nominates one representative to sit on the KPCU Board. The Board is the supreme organ in the decision-making process of the Union.

The Board in turn delegates specific functions to the Audit Committee, Finance and Tender Committee, Staff Committee and Milling and Marketing Committee. These committees operate under specific terms of reference sanctioned by the Board. Advisory committees oversee the day-today running of KPCU’s countrywide network of branches, with the specific mandate of ensuring the greater involvement of farmers in the decision-making process. The decisions of the committees are ratified by the Board.

KPCU not only keeps abreast of farming technologies but also embraces modern communication technologies to make its work more efficient and effective. That is why the Union has modern information communication technology (ICT) facilities, which has seen all its branches across the country networked for faster exchange and flow of information. Farmers are, therefore, able to receive crucial information at branch level online.

Storage is an important service in the production of coffee, which is why KPCU has transit stores throughout the country whose total capacity is 80,000 tons. The Union operates mills across Kenya whose total capacity per hour is 34 tons.

As a responsible corporate citizen, it recycles waste coffee husks into Kahawa Coal (literally Coffee Coal), high energy coffee charcoal briquettes that serve as an alternative food fuel. The Union also incorporates HIV/Aids awareness sessions in educational forums for farmers. As part of its contribution to poverty alleviation and food security, KPCU supports educational programmes and rural micro-credit schemes to foster economic growth and wealth creation.