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The Café Nairobi Founder Story
Born Into Coffee Country
Martin Kabaki was born and raised in Kenya's coffee highlands. Coffee was not something he discovered later - it was the landscape he grew up in. The farms, the harvest cycle, the rhythm of a growing region were part of ordinary life.
That upbringing is the foundation Café Nairobi is built on.
Starting at the Bottom in America
Martin moved to the United States and began his path into the coffee industry washing dishes.
What followed was fifteen years of working upward through the trade - learning sourcing, roasting, and the craft of coffee from the ground floor rather than from a boardroom. It is an unglamorous way to build expertise and a thorough one. Every part of the business was learned by doing it.
Back to the Farms
Today Martin works directly with the smallholder farmers who grow Café Nairobi's coffee, with an emphasis on fair value for growers and traceability from farm to bag.
That relationship is the part of the story that matters most. Sourcing from Kenya is a business decision available to any roaster. Sourcing from Kenya as someone who grew up among those farms, speaks to growers directly, and understands what the work actually involves is a different relationship entirely.
Roasting in Jacksonville
Café Nairobi coffee is roasted to order in Jacksonville, Florida, and sealed immediately after roasting.
The two halves of the business reflect the two halves of Martin's own path: Kenyan highlands where the coffee grows, and an American roastery where it is finished.
Why This Is Built the Way It Is
Café Nairobi's positioning follows directly from Martin's background. Single-origin Kenyan Arabica, because that is the coffee he knows. Direct farmer relationships, because he came from that community. Independent laboratory testing with results published in full, because a claim should be checkable.
Taste the Result
- Medium Roast - the best place to start
- Shop all coffee →
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