Restoring the Missing Block in the “C” Market — The Divinity of Coffee

Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, partners, and friends,

Today I want to speak about something fundamental—something that has been missing for far too long in the global conversation about coffee. For decades, the world has looked at coffee through the narrow lens of the “C” Market, where a number on a screen decides the destiny of millions of farmers.

But coffee cannot be understood through a number.
Coffee cannot be reduced to a speculative price.
Coffee is not simply a commodity.

There is a missing block in the global coffee system—a dimension that the markets forgot, but the farmers have always known.
And that missing block is divinity.

When I say divinity, I am not talking about religion. I am talking about the higher value, the humanity, the dignity, the soul inside this industry. Coffee has a depth that no market metric can ever measure. And today, I invite all of us to restore that truth.

Because coffee is culture.
Coffee tells the story of who we are—our heritage, our identity, our centuries of tradition. In Kenya, coffee is woven into our landscape. From the crisp mornings in the highlands of Embu and Nyeri to the bustling cafés of Nairobi, coffee is a way of expressing ourselves. It is an art form, a ritual, a shared experience.

Coffee is livelihood.
Behind every bean is a farmer who depends on this crop not just for income, but for survival. When the C Market collapses, it is not a number that suffers—it is a household, a child, a community. The global system has forgotten this reality, but we cannot afford to forget. Not now. Not ever.

Coffee is education.
Every day at Kenya Coffee School and Barista Mtaani, we see what coffee can do for the youth. It teaches skills, science, creativity, business, and global literacy. Coffee opens doors—doors to employment, doors to entrepreneurship, doors to dignity. Coffee knowledge is not just technical training; it is empowerment.

Coffee is community.
It connects farmers to roasters, baristas to customers, Kenya to the world. Coffee brings people together. It builds networks. It builds opportunities. It builds friendships and solidarity across continents.

And above all,
coffee is a farmer’s way out of poverty.

With fair systems, fair pricing, better governance, and a commitment to value addition, coffee becomes a bridge—from hardship to hope, from hope to prosperity. When we talk about restoring divinity, we are talking about restoring fairness. Restoring dignity. Restoring humanity to the heart of the supply chain.

Ladies and gentlemen,
if we truly want a sustainable coffee future, we must rewrite what the world considers “value.” We must build systems that reward quality, knowledge, stewardship, and community—not speculation.

That is why initiatives like GOOD Trade Certification, Barista Mtaani, and Kenya Coffee School exist. We are building a different kind of future—one where youth are included, where farmers are respected, where climate-smart practices are rewarded, and where Kenya leads the world not only in cup score, but in integrity.

We stand at a historic moment.
A moment to declare boldly:
Coffee is not just a commodity. Coffee is culture, livelihood, education, knowledge, community—and yes, coffee is divine.

It is time to restore that divinity.
It is time to honor the people behind the cup.
It is time to build a coffee economy grounded in dignity, not speculation.

Let us commit to this mission together.
Let us restore what the C Market forgot.
Let us bring humanity back to coffee.
And let us give farmers, baristas, youth, and communities the future they have always deserved.

Thank you.