National Taste of Harvest 2026 — 1st Place Experimental Arabica | Mt. Elgon Slopes Coffee Estate

🥇The Award

Award ceremony — National Taste of Harvest Kenya 2026

AFCA · AFA · National Taste of Harvest · Kenya 2025–2026

1st Place
Experimental Arabica Category

Awarded to: Mt. Elgon Slopes Coffee Estate Ltd
2025–2026 National Taste of Harvest — Kenya

Award

1st Place — Experimental Arabica Category

Competition

2025–2026 National Taste of Harvest — Kenya

Awarded To

Mt. Elgon Slopes Coffee Estate Ltd

Lot Submitted

Natural Anaerobic · K7 Variety · 2000 MASL · Bungoma

Organised By

African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) & Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)

Backed By

Markup II · EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme Phase II

Signed By

Dr. Bruno Linyiru, OGW (AFA) & Gilbert Gatali (AFCA)

🌍 Competition Scope

National — All Kenya Coffee Regions

Competing against entries from Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Embu, Kiambu, Meru and all major growing counties

📸Award Gallery

Award presentation — Taste of Harvest Kenya

National Award Presentation

Winner Shield & Certificate · Agriculture and Food Authority · Kenya

Winner Shield — Experimental Arabica

AFCA · Taste of Harvest · 2026 · Experimental Arabica Category

Certificate of Achievement

1st Place · Experimental Arabica · National Taste of Harvest Kenya

📜Certificate of Achievement

Verified · AFCA · AFA · 2026

National Taste of Harvest · Kenya 2025–2026

Certificate of Achievement — 1st Place

Issued jointly by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and the African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) under the Markup II EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme Phase II, this certificate recognises Mt. Elgon Slopes Coffee Estate Ltd for achieving 1st Place in the Experimental Arabica Category with an SCA score of 88.7 at the 2025–2026 National Taste of Harvest Kenya.

The National Taste of Harvest is Kenya's premier annual coffee quality competition, bringing together entries from all coffee-growing counties across the country. The Experimental Arabica Category recognises outstanding innovation in processing — rewarding the anaerobic natural fermentation techniques that define Mt. Elgon's signature cup.

1st Place

National, Kenya

Experimental

Arabica Category

2025–26

Season

AFCA

National

View Award Lot — 12MG0029NH (Natural Heavy) →

⚙️The Process Behind the Win

From Mt. Elgon Volcano to National Champion

Natural Anaerobic · K7 Variety · 2000 MASL · Bungoma, Kenya · Season 2025/26

🍒

Cherry Selection

Only hand-picked, fully ripe K7 cherries at 2000 MASL, Bungoma. No underripe or overripe. Strict selection at farm gate.

🛢️

Anaerobic Fermentation

Cherries sealed in tanks for controlled CO₂ fermentation — developing the tropical fruit, berry, and sweet wine complexity that won nationally.

☀️

Raised Bed Drying

Fermented cherries spread on elevated mesh drying beds. Turned by hand every 2 hours for even, uniform drying across 4–6 weeks.

📦

Grading & Export

Hulled, sorted and graded. Sealed in grain-pro bags. Cupped and approved — ready for FCL and LCL export from Port of Mombasa.

K7 cherries at 2000 MASL · Mt. Elgon Estate

Anaerobic fermentation — hand scooping cherries

Sealed-tank anaerobic fermentation · Natural process

Raised bed drying — workers turning coffee

Raised bed drying · Mt. Elgon Estate · 2000 MASL

✍️Signatories

Certificate of Achievement — Official Signatories

Agriculture and Food Authority · Kenya

Dr. Bruno Linyiru, OGW

Director General

The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) is Kenya's statutory body mandated to regulate, develop, and promote the production, processing, marketing, grading and export of scheduled crops including coffee.

African Fine Coffees Association

Gilbert Gatali

Executive Director

The African Fine Coffees Association (AFCA) is the leading pan-African specialty coffee body promoting quality, traceability and market access for East and Central African coffee producers and exporters globally.

🏛Organising Bodies

AFA

Agriculture and Food Authority

Kenya national authority for agriculture and food sector regulation

AFCA

African Fine Coffees Association

Pan-African body promoting specialty coffee excellence

Taste of Harvest

AFCA Competition

Annual national coffee quality competition across all East African origins

Markup II

EU-EAC Programme

EU-EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme Phase II · Global Gateway

🗓Competition Roadmap

✓

March 26–27, 2026 · University of Eldoret

FOEA West of Rift Regional Qualifiers

Won the Flavours of East Africa (FOEA) West of Rift Regional Championship under EACMC 2026. SCA Descriptive Score 88.7. Natural Anaerobic, K7, 2000 MASL. Qualified for FOEA National Finals Nairobi, October 2026.

🏆 Won — FOEA West of Rift Champion · SCA 88.7

✓

2025–2026 Season · Kenya National

National Taste of Harvest Kenya — 1st Place

Submitted the same natural anaerobic lot to the AFCA and AFA National Taste of Harvest — Kenya's premier national coffee quality competition backed by the EU's Markup II programme. Competing against entries from all major Kenyan growing counties.

🥇 1st Place · Experimental Arabica · National

✓

April 10–12, 2026 · San Diego, USA

SCA World of Coffee — San Diego · Booth 1915

Waziri Coffee exhibited at World of Coffee San Diego 2026, showcasing the award-winning Mt. Elgon natural anaerobic lot to specialty buyers, importers and roasters from over 90 countries.

Exhibited · Booth 1915 · San Diego

→

October 28–30, 2026 · Nairobi, Kenya

FOEA National Finals — EACMC 2026, Nairobi

Qualified to compete at the FOEA Grand Finals in Nairobi — competing against all regional champions across East Africa for the overall Flavours of East Africa national title.

Qualified · Awaiting Finals · Oct 28–30, 2026

Source Kenya's National Champion

The same natural anaerobic lot that won 1st Place at the National Taste of Harvest Kenya and the West of Rift FOEA Championship is available as green beans. Request samples or book a forward contract.

Request Samples — Lot 12MG0029NH FOEA Award Page → Full Lot Traceability → [Book Harvest]