Standard County Mtaa Hub – Coffee MSME Model
A Replicable Framework for Youth Jobs, Skills & Local Economies
This Standard County Mtaa Hub Coffee MSME Model is designed as a plug-and-play blueprint that any county government can adopt to empower youth, grow MSMEs, and retain coffee value locally.
It is implemented through Mtaa Hub (Open Skills Education) in partnership with Barista Mtaani and Kenya Coffee School.
1️⃣ Model Purpose (Why Counties Need This)
The model responds to four county realities:
- High youth unemployment
- Informal MSMEs with low survival rates
- Limited access to affordable skills training
- Loss of value along the coffee chain
Goal:
👉 Turn youth skills → viable coffee MSMEs → local jobs → county revenue
2️⃣ Core Structure of the County Mtaa Hub
🏘️ Physical Setup (Low-Cost, Flexible)
A County Mtaa Hub can operate from:
- Ward vocational centres
- Youth empowerment centres
- Markets, estates, or urban hubs
- Repurposed county facilities
Minimum infrastructure:
- Training room (15–30 learners)
- Practical coffee station (shared equipment)
- Storage + hygiene facilities
- Outdoor/market-facing demo coffee cart
Designed to work even in dense urban and informal settlements.
3️⃣ Program Pillars (What Happens Inside the Hub)
☕ Pillar 1: Skills Training (Barista Mtaani)
Delivered on-site through Barista Mtaani:
- Barista fundamentals & beverage prep
- Coffee cart & kiosk operations
- Customer service & hygiene
- Speed, consistency & street-ready workflows
Outcome: Job-ready and business-ready youth.
🎓 Pillar 2: Quality & Progression (Kenya Coffee School)
Anchored by Kenya Coffee School (KCS):
- Coffee quality literacy (bean to cup)
- Sensory basics & quality appreciation
- Pathways to advanced training & certification
- Alignment to national & international coffee standards
Outcome: Skills with credibility, not dead-end training.
🚀 Pillar 3: MSME Incubation (Mtaa Hub)
Business support embedded in the hub:
- Coffee MSME startup models (cart, kiosk, café)
- Costing, pricing & cashflow
- Branding & customer acquisition
- Licensing & compliance basics
Outcome: Youth-owned, operational coffee MSMEs.
🔄 Pillar 4: Value Chain Integration
Local sourcing & value retention:
- Link youth MSMEs to farmers & roasters
- Promote value addition at source
- Encourage county-based supply chains
Outcome: Money circulates within the county economy.
4️⃣ Target Beneficiaries
Primary:
- Urban & peri-urban youth (18–35)
- Informal sector workers
- Women & vulnerable groups
Secondary:
- Smallholder coffee farmers
- Local roasters & suppliers
- County MSME ecosystem
5️⃣ Standard Implementation Phases (12 Months)
Phase 1: Setup (Months 1–2)
- County–Mtaa Hub partnership agreement
- Identify pilot ward(s)
- Equip hub (shared coffee tools & carts)
Phase 2: Training & Skills (Months 3–6)
- Rolling Barista Mtaani cohorts
- Practical, hands-on learning
- Mentorship & peer learning
Phase 3: MSME Launch (Months 6–9)
- Deploy coffee carts & kiosks
- Business coaching & supervision
- Market placement support
Phase 4: Scale & Replicate (Months 9–12)
- Evaluate impact
- Graduate MSMEs
- Replicate hub in new wards
6️⃣ Roles & Responsibilities
🏛️ County Government
- Provide space & policy support
- Budget allocation (Youth / Trade / TVET votes)
- Facilitate licensing & market access
📘 Mtaa Hub (Open Skills Education)
- Hub coordination & open access learning
- Community mobilization
- MSME incubation framework
☕ Barista Mtaani
- Practical vocational delivery
- Street-level training models
- On-the-job mentorship
🎓 Kenya Coffee School
- Curriculum & quality standards
- Trainer-of-trainers support
- Pathways to advanced coffee careers
7️⃣ Expected Outcomes (Per County / Per Year)
- 300–600 youth trained
- 80–150 coffee MSMEs launched
- Direct & indirect job creation
- Increased youth income stability
- Stronger county coffee value chains
8️⃣ Alignment & Policy Fit
This model directly supports:
- Kenya Vision 2030
→ Skills, MSMEs, value addition, youth employment - United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
→ Education, poverty reduction, decent work, inequality reduction
9️⃣ Why Counties Can Adopt This Fast
- Low capital, high impact
- Uses existing county infrastructure
- Proven coffee market demand
- Scalable ward by ward
- Politically visible, socially meaningful
🔑 In One Line
The County Mtaa Hub Coffee MSME Model turns coffee skills into youth-owned businesses—using education as a human right and MSMEs as engines of local development.
