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Jber Coffee LimitedGreen Coffee · Origin Supply

Crop calendar

Kenya Coffee Crop Calendar

Flowering, cherry development, harvest, processing, milling and the realistic export window for Kenya — split by region, because a single national figure hides the variation that determines when a shipment is possible.

Cycle summary

Crop year
Crop year commonly quoted October–September
Harvest
Main crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July
Export window
December–June for main crop, with early-crop shipments from August
Species
Arabica
Altitude
1,400–2,100 m
Ports
Mombasa

Calendars

2 regional cycles

Each calendar covers one growing area or one crop cycle. Where a country runs more than one, they are shown separately rather than averaged.

Main crop — central highlands and Mount Kenya

Crop year commonly quoted October–September

Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
FloweringLong rains
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
  • Flowering: Feb–Apr. Long rains
  • Cherry development: Apr–Sep
  • Harvest: Oct–Dec
  • Processing & drying: Oct–Jan
  • Dry milling & grading: Nov–Feb
  • Main export window: Dec–Jun

The main crop carries the majority of volume and the tightest factory separations.

Early / fly crop

Crop year commonly quoted October–September

Stage
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
FloweringShort rains
Cherry development
Harvest
Processing & drying
Dry milling & grading
Main export window
  • Flowering: Oct–Nov. Short rains
  • Cherry development: Nov–Apr
  • Harvest: May–Jul
  • Processing & drying: May–Aug
  • Dry milling & grading: Jun–Sep
  • Main export window: Jul–Oct

Smaller and more variable than the main crop; useful for bridging supply mid-year.

These are typical ranges

Harvest timing shifts year to year with rainfall, and within a country with altitude and aspect. Treat these as planning ranges rather than as fixed dates, and confirm the position for the specific crop when a shipment window is being agreed.

Regions

Regional harvest timing

Which areas pick when, and what that means for the separations available at each point in the season.

Kenya harvest timing by region
RegionAltitudeSpeciesHarvest
Nyeri1,600–2,000 mArabicaOctober–December, fly crop May–July
Kirinyaga1,400–1,900 mArabicaOctober–December, fly crop May–July
Murang’a1,350–1,800 mArabicaOctober–December, fly crop May–July
Embu & Meru1,300–1,950 mArabicaOctober–December, fly crop May–July
Kiambu1,500–1,800 mArabicaOctober–December, fly crop May–July
Kisii, Bungoma & Trans-Nzoia1,500–1,900 mArabicaOctober–December
Kenya origin profileCurrent availabilityRequest Current Crop Offer

Keep reading

Planning a shipment