“Coffee unites people around the world, and I was happy to expand my business network with coffee professionals. This was my first experience attending a roasting training. I also learned the importance of precise timing and temperature control while roasting. One of the highlights was learning about development time and its impact on attributes such as flavour, colour, and taste, something so important for being successful in specialty coffee markets,” explained John Seroney, Co-founder and Director at Sumseron Coffee & Tea Ltd.
Amid the growing Nairobi coffee scene, a group of dedicated small roasting business owners and roasting artisans gathered for an invaluable training session.
"With advanced roasting techniques, I can fine-tune flavour profiles and consistently produce high quality coffee beans that appeal to specialty coffee consumers," said Edwin Mwangi of Torch Coffee.
The training aimed to deepen the participants' understanding of the art and science of coffee roasting, equipping them with the precision needed to elevate their craft to meet the ever-discerning requirements of coffee consumers.
This initiative, provided by the second phase of the European Union (EU) – East African Community (EAC) Market Access Upgrade Program (EU-EAC MARKUP II) project, funded by the EU, aims to contribute to driving the domestic consumption of coffee as a complementary market for Kenya coffee producers and to boost youth entrepreneurship and employment in cafes and roasteries.
The training led by renowned coffee expert Asli Yaman under the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) coffee roasting module, brought together participants from enterprises such as Utake Coffee, Sumerson Coffee and Tea, Torch Coffee Kenya, Coffee Lounge, Jowam Coffee Traders, Rumani Agencies, and others.
Participants also learnt about the new Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) protocols and were awarded a certificate from the SCA.
