By Mel Tewahade
Zabuni’s Specialty Coffee Auction’s story began in 2012 when small-scale coffee farmers in Nyeri, Kenya reached out to husbandand-wife team Laban and Cora Njuguna for help. Fed up with being disenfranchised from the coffee industry that they themselves make possible, and faced with the alternative of neglecting or uprooting their coffee bushes, they sought a solution that would enable them to keep producing coffee, earn a livable wage, and provide for their families.
Zabuni Specialty Coffee Auction is the result of years of research and listening to farmers, roasters, coffee experts, cafe owners, and consumers in order to develop an innovative, market-based solution that drives sustainability by treating everyone fairly. As the children and grandchildren of small-scale farmers, bringing justice and fairness to a system that has oppressed growers for decades is at the heart of what we do. Zabuni worked closely with Grand Island leaders and Kenyan officials to make direct access to market possible for small farmers.
The main region for quality coffee production in Kenya is the central highlands aka the Mt. Kenya region. Zabuni’s mission is to provide a platform where farmers and roasters connect so that roasters gain consistent, efficient access to high-quality coffees, while farmers are empowered by acting as their own brand ambassadors and receive a better return.
Zabuni Specialty Coffee Auction facilitates the direct trade of wholesale green specialty coffees to roasters in the United States and Canada through integrated in-person and online auctions. Zabuni is the first regularly scheduled auction to offer “spot” (on-site, immediately-available) specialty coffees.
Whether you need a single bag or multiple containers, our variety of top-quality lots have something for everyone!
Zabuni is an auction service rather than an importer/reseller; the coffees we offer are farmer-owned. No need for expensive, time-consuming sourcing trips – let the farmers bring their coffee to you! Receiving the coffees directly after processing rather than going through the traditional sales channels allows us to offer fresher coffees at a price that saves you money, while still returning a better profit to the growers/cooperatives.
The open nature of our auction means parties can buy or sell with confidence because prices are negotiated exclusively between buyer and seller. Transparency is the first step toward accountability, and we enable both ends of the supply chain to have a clear view of the entire process so that we can bring real, verifiable, sustainable change to the supply and trade of coffee. Zabuni officially opened on November 19, 2019 and first auction was held November 20, 2019.