Kenyan farm exports set to enter US stores as new trade ties strengthen

KENYA – Kenya will soon send more of its farm products to the United States after senior officials from the US Africa Trade Desk completed a series of meetings in Nairobi.

The visit marked a strong step toward deeper trade cooperation and direct access to some of America’s biggest retail stores.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe met the delegation and called for closer work between farmers, exporters, and private investors. He told the visiting team that Kenya can meet strict global standards if farmers receive the right support.

Kagwe said producers now focus on better handling practices and stronger quality control. He added that the country aims to improve every part of the export chain under President William Ruto’s Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

“We are going as private-sector as possible, supporting our producers to meet global demands through better pest control, post-harvest handling, and value addition. Kenya is ready, and we want this partnership to transform livelihoods for our farmers,” he said.

Walmart will become one of the first major US stores to stock more Kenyan products. The US team confirmed interest in fresh-cut flowers, coffee, macadamia nuts, and later tea.

Their visit followed a trip by a Kenyan trade team to Washington, where the two sides agreed to open wider import windows for Kenyan goods.

Nouvelle blooms leads the first wave

One of the strongest signals came from Nouvelle Blooms Ltd, which runs major export operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The company secured deals to ship more than four million stems of Kenyan roses every month to the US.

It also plans to supply specialty Kenyan coffee to American buyers. The firm guided the US delegation through farms and facilities in Naivasha and Nairobi, where the team held meetings with flower consolidators, the Coffee Directorate, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, and quality control experts.

Macadamia exporters showed similar readiness. Firms such as Macnut Consortium outlined their production systems and confirmed that they can meet the volumes that US retailers expect. The visitors said Kenyan macadamia will appear in the first group of products heading to American stores.

Support for local industry

The talks also covered support for local manufacturing. Kenya will bring in raw materials such as cotton for textile factories and key inputs for animal feed mills. Officials believe this move will lower production costs and help stabilise supply for dairy and poultry farmers.

Both sides said the recent meetings opened a clear path for stronger trade ties. The partnership now gives exporters direct links to US buyers and a clearer process for compliance and logistics.

CS Kagwe said the shift places Kenyan farmers in a stronger space within global markets and gives them a chance to earn steady returns.

“Kenya is ready, and we want this partnership to transform livelihoods for our farmers,” he said again as the talks drew to a close.

Sign up to receive our email newsletters with the latest news updates and insights from Africa and the World HERE.