Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is set to open the first ever coffee shop in New York, USA, and commence selling Kenyan coffee directly to Americans.
Speaking during the Devolution Conference in her backyard, the governor further divulged that the plans were nearing completion and that the shop would open on March 16.
“The first-ever Kirinyaga Coffee House will be officially opened in New York on March 16 where our coffee will now be exposed to international consumers, ” she told the delegates.
She also disclosed that her government had partnered with a New York-based firm that will supply up to four tonnes of the commodity directly from farmers.
The sales will go at Ksh120 per kilogramme.
Addressing the congregation at Kirinyaga University grounds, she also revealed that the deal would spur the county’s economic development especially that of the farmers.
“If we succeed in this, our farmers will now have struck a gold mine, their many years of hard work will be handsomely paid through this new found arrangement,” she continued.
This comes shortly after the area’s coffee was ranked among the best in the world. Baragwe emerged fourth while Kabare was ranked at number 24 by the International Coffee Review.
Besides coffee, Waiguru also explained that the county was the leading producer of rice and tomatoes and that they plan to open a processing firm in one of the wards.
“Since most of this commodity goes to waste due to lack of market and overproduction, our development partners have agreed to assist us put up a processing factory within Kangai Ward where youths from the area will be given first priority in jobs,” she stated.
