Kenya’s agricultural exports are poised for a major breakthrough in the United States market, following a successful visit to Nairobi by the US-Africa Trade Desk (USATD) delegation.
The team was officially received by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
The high-level delegation, led by CEO Gavin van der Burgh, VP Bill Fanjoy, Director of Special Projects Jeanah Lacey, Director of Continental Services Frances Fraser, and Shane Townsend, held wide-ranging engagements with government agencies and key players in Kenya’s floriculture, coffee, macadamia, apparel, grains, and animal feed sectors.
The visit aimed to explore opportunities for expanding trade ties, removing market barriers, and promoting Kenyan produce, including fruits, vegetables, tea, and coffee, to American consumers.
Speaking during the meetings, Kagwe underscored the importance of strengthening private-sector-driven trade partnerships and enhancing compliance with global standards to unlock new export opportunities.
“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.
Kagwe added that the Ministry will continue improving traceability, certification, and market-readiness systems under President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), to make Kenyan exports more competitive globally.
The USATD delegation announced that fresh-cut flowers, coffee, macadamia nuts, and later tea, have been identified as priority exports for US retail chains, including major outlets such as Walmart.
This follows an earlier trip by Kenya’s trade mission to the US in September, during which CS Kagwe secured Washington’s commitment to widen the import window for Kenyan agricultural products.
Walmart is a global retail giant based in the US, known for its chain of hypermarkets, discount stores, and grocery outlets.
Founded in 1962 by Sam Walton in Rogers, Arkansas, Walmart has grown into one of the largest companies in the world, serving millions of customers every day.
The company’s business model focuses on offering a wide range of products, groceries, clothing, electronics, home goods, and more, at low prices, living up to its mission: “Save people money so they can live better.”
It also has thousands of stores across the US and in countries such as Mexico, Canada, Chile, China, and South Africa.
Its massive scale, affordable prices, and wide product selection have made it a household name globally, shaping retail practices and consumer expectations alike.
A key highlight of the visit by the delegation was the success of Nouvelle Blooms Ltd, a leading export firm based at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), which has secured agreements to ship over 4 million stems of premium Kenyan roses per month to the US market.
The company will also supply specialty Kenyan coffee directly to American buyers.
Nouvelle Blooms coordinated the floriculture and coffee field visits for the US delegation in Naivasha and Nairobi, which included tours of major farms, flower consolidators, the Coffee Directorate, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, quality control labs, cargo warehouses at JKIA, and the Horticultural Crops Directorate.
In the macadamia sector, exporters such as Macnut Consortium showcased their readiness to meet US demand.
The delegation confirmed that Kenyan macadamia will form part of the first wave of products entering American retail outlets.
Boost for Local Manufacturing and Food Security
In addition to market access for Kenyan exports, the partnership will facilitate the import of key raw materials to support local industries.
These include cotton for Kenya’s apparel and textile factories and animal feed ingredients to lower production costs in the livestock sector.
The move is expected to stabilise supply chains and strengthen Kenya’s dairy, poultry, and livestock industries.
With clear frameworks for compliance, logistics, and buyer-seller linkages now in place, both sides hailed the mission as a turning point for Kenya’s agricultural exports.
The new trade pathway aligns with CS Kagwe’s vision of positioning Kenya as a global agri-export powerhouse, ensuring farmers earn better returns and gain consistent access to premium markets abroad
