A 150-year-old Italian coffee brand has made its entry into the Kenyan market, opening its first outlet in Nairobi's Upper Hill.
Café Barbera officially launched its Kenyan branch at Altura Building on Thursday, October 1, marking the latest international expansion of a coffee company founded in Southern Italy in 1870.
The launch makes Kenya the brand's 23rd market globally, more than a century after Domenico Barbera established the company as a single coffee house in Italy. Café Barbera has since expanded into an international franchise while retaining family ownership across five generations.
The company says its signature coffee is produced from seven varieties of beans sourced from some of the world's major coffee-growing regions.
The beans are slow-roasted separately before being blended according to a recipe attributed to the company's founder.
But customers visiting the new Nairobi outlet will get more than Italian coffee. The café's menu includes pizzas, pastas, pastries and other Italian-inspired meals, alongside local comfort foods, which account for about 25 per cent of the menu.
The move allows the brand to retain its Italian identity while incorporating tastes familiar to Kenyan consumers.
Café Barbera has positioned the Upper Hill outlet as a destination for Nairobi's large professional population, offering a space for business meetings, meals, remote work and social gatherings.
The location places the international coffee brand within a major commercial district hosting multinational companies, embassies and professional service firms.
Elio Barbera, Managing Director of Café Barbera, said the Kenyan launch represented an important step for the company and Nairobi's hospitality sector.
“The opening of Café Barbera at Altura marks an exciting moment not only for the brand, but also for Nairobi's evolving lifestyle and hospitality landscape," he remarked.
He added that the company wanted the new outlet to become more than a coffee shop. “We are bringing a piece of Italian coffee culture to Nairobi while creating a space where people can meet, work, dine and enjoy quality moments throughout their day," he stated.
Café Barbera began franchising internationally in 2004 and has since expanded to 23 countries across multiple continents.
The company describes itself as one of Europe's oldest coffee businesses, with its operations still controlled by the Barbera family five generations after its establishment.
The new outlet will operate daily from 7am to 11pm, offering espresso and other coffee products alongside panini, pizzas, pastas, Mediterranean-style salads, pastries and local dishes.
The Kenyan launch adds another international name to Nairobi's increasingly competitive café and hospitality market, particularly in commercial districts such as Upper Hill.
Café Barbera has not disclosed the amount invested in establishing its first Kenyan outlet or whether it intends to open additional branches in Nairobi or other Kenyan towns.
For now, the Upper Hill outlet marks the company's first foothold in Kenya and its latest expansion beyond its Italian roots after more than 150 years in the coffee business.
