Chairman's message

Coffee research started in Kenya in 1944 with the purchase of Jacaranda estate near Ruiru by the Kenya Government. The British Colonial Development and Welfare Fund provided the funds. After requests from farmers in 1963, the Government handed direct responsibility for the coffee research to the coffee industry and on 19th August 1964, the Coffee Research Foundation was incorporated as a company limited by guarantee.

Coffee Research Foundation is mandated to carry out all research related to coffee in Kenya. As such, it has various research stations distributed within the coffee growing areas. These are in Ruiru, Meru Kisii, Kitale, Koru and Namwela Demonstration Plot.

Over time, various research findings have been made, which have contributed significantly to the growth and development of the coffee industry. Some of these achievements include selection of high yielding, high quality Arabica coffee varieties, such as, SL 28, SL34 and K7 among others; development and production of the disease resistant hybrid variety Ruiru II; disease and pest management and development of credible and responsive field advisory and training services.

Generating research information and passing it to the consumer is still our strength. As such CRF established the Kenya Coffee College that plays a pivotal role as a training centre for all the stakeholders in the Coffee Industry. It carries out routine courses in addition to tailor-made ones. The college is repositioning itself and widening its horizon to introduce and offer a diploma course in Horticulture in conjunction with local universities.

The current focus is research geared towards development and production of high yielding, high quality cultivars; husbandry practices that exploit the genetic potential of the good cultivars; coffee quality and safety; coffee market research; and the dissemination of the research findings.
CRF invites all the stakeholders to work together for the betterment of the coffee industry in Kenya.