Foundational Partner

Thamani

While we have always loved the sparkling coffees of Kenya, Passenger’s investment in this renowned coffee-producing origin has been relatively modest until recently. Two key developments motivated the pursuit of a Foundational Partnership in Kenya: we saw a unique opportunity to collaborate with our friends the Mbature Family, and the regulatory landscape in Kenya evolved significantly, making it easier to work directly with producers.

Passenger first traveled to meet Peter Mbature, proprietor of Kamavindi Estate, in 2020. Kamavindi was established by Peter’s grandfather and is now owned and operated by the third generation of the Mbature family. Recently, the family founded Kamavindi Coffee Lab, enabling them not only to export their own coffees directly, but also to export coffees sourced from other private estates and cooperatives in the Mt. Kenya region. This development truly created the opportunity for the Thamani partnership to come to life. In the years to come, Passenger plans to continue purchasing estate coffees produced by the Mbature family, but we will also be investing in other notable Kenyan producers (Kambarare, Oneska, Kibingo, Kivanga, Gichathaini, etc.) with Kamavindi Coffee Lab’s essential support.

Thamani (tha-Mah-nee) means “value” in the Swahili language. When we asked Peter what we should name our new partnership, he immediately suggested this beautiful word. With each coffee shared under the Thamani banner, we seek to add value from farm to cup: for Kenyan producers, for the Mbature family, for Passenger, and for the end consumer.