Kenya: Small Coffee Shops Find Niche Along Big Players - AllAfrica.com

Abyssinia LatiNairobi

Just before the Christmastide vacations last year, three enterprisers opened a java store along Moi Avenue in Capital Of Kenya and called it Coffee World.

It might be the newest java store in city, but for such as a immature business, the three are so far happy with their venture. Coffee imbibing have been picking up worldwide, driven by java retail male monarch Starbucks.

The pressure levels of the human race marketplaces are not different in Kenya, leading to the spreading of the coffee-drinking culture. "Before we put up shop here, we did an appraisal of the marketplace and establish that it was growing ," states John Jay Gala, one of the managers of Coffee World.

The Kenyan marketplace is large and there is demand for even more than java shops. The most noteworthy java house (not shop ) is the Capital Of Kenya Java House with seven outlets. Its success opened a new marketplace for others, with java exporter Dormans followers with 10 stores in the metropolis and another at the Coast. It began trading operations in Republic Of Kenya in 2003.

Last year, Sasini, a tea and java manufacturer and exporter, opened its first java store called Savannah and programs to open up more.

Another java lover, Fathi Mohamed, entered the concern because of his love for the beverage. He had tried to acquire a Starbucks franchise back in Canada, but the net income were not as good as he expected, forcing him to abandon the venture.

When he came to Kenya, he regularly visited popular java houses in the metropolis for his front-runner beverage. The bug soon spot him again and he started looking for space to open up up a java shop.

After three old age of searching for the perfect location, Mister Mohamed was able to open The Mud along Kenneth Kaunda Street with an appropriate motto "Coffee Culture" in July 2007.

"It have been successful so far and Kenyans are learning about coffee," states Mister Mohamed. Gross Sales are going up day-to-day as more than people notice the new java shop. The clients are diverse and of different ages.

However, java have always come up 2nd to tea in Kenya, despite the state being a manufacturer of the commodity. Only 840 tonnes, which stands for two per cent of 42,000 metric tons of java produced annually, end up in Kenyan cups, compared to the 14,000 metric tons of tea consumed. "Tea is more than popular and cheaper than coffee," states Mister Gala.

"Tea is the preferable drink and even with the name Coffee World, people still inquire whether we function tea," he adds.

Coffee is considered to be a drink for the well-to-do, but that is not the lone problem, he says. The readying procedure of the imbibe also matters.

There is instantaneous java and land java beans, the most popular beingness the blink of an eye assortment whose marketplace Nestlé Foods Republic Of Kenya Ltd, which have got the trade name Nescafé, have dominated for years, followed by Dormans Ltd with the Dormans brand.

In a recent interview with the Business Daily, Mister Eric Omondi, the general director of Dormans, said 70 per cent of Kenyans who drink java take the blink of an eye assortment while others furuncle land coffee, but they stop up burning the coffee, making it savor like charcoal.

Nevertheless, penchant for tea have not deterred little java brewers, even with the bigger java houses like Dormans having stamped their authorization on the local market.

"Each store offerings distinct taste sensation and spirits so there is always room for all of us ," states Mister Gaya.

At The Mug, clients can have the peak class of coffee, Arabica AA. Not only is it the best, but it is also the freshest. They make not brew java that is more than than two hebdomads old. Coffee have so many different taste sensations and seven different spirits are served at The Mug.

"We seek to be originative with tea as well, but you can play more than with the coffee," states Mister Mohamed.

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The Mug mainly aims concern people and business office workers looking for a speedy snack, with their busiest hours being in the eventide from 5 p.m to eight. Both topographic points are packed and the clients sometimes share tables

To pull more than customers, The Mug have introduced a "happy hour" that offerings java at one-half terms during the slow hours between three to five in the afternoon. They also do bringings to offices.

After almost a twelvemonth of operation, The Mug's proprietor is looking to spread out in the city, but his programs may be thwarted by rising java terms at the auction bridge and the steep addition in terms of basic grocery like flour and milk.