Commercial Coffee Mill Manager

Background

Tatu Coffee Company Limited is one of Kenya's leading specialty coffee producers, with a heritage spanning more than 100 years.Owned by Rendeavour, the developer of Tatu City, the company cultivates premium Arabica coffee across more than 6,500 acres of Rainforest Alliance Certified estates in Kenya's fertile highlands.

Tatu Coffee supplies specialty coffee to leading roasters and buyers across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, combining sustainable farming practices with world-class processing to produce award-winning Kenyan coffee. The estates also play a significant role in supporting local communities through employment, environmental stewardship and responsible agricultural practice.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly analytical, operationally rigorous, and commercially minded Commercial Coffee Mill Manager to oversee our dry milling operations. Our facility processes coffee for a diverse portfolio of external clients, including independent commercial farmers, large estates, and cooperative societies.

The successful candidate will take full custody of client property, maximizing milling yields (outturns), ensuring 100% batch traceability, and building trust through flawless customer relations and transparent reporting. You will drive plant profitability while operating in strict compliance with Kenyan agricultural, environmental, labour and safety statutes.

Responsibilities

1. Commercial Operations & Yield Optimization

• Outturn & Grade Maximization: Oversee the technical configuration of milling machinery to maximize premium grades (AA, AB) and optimize overall recovery percentages for clients.
• Throughput & Scheduling: Strategically schedule mill runs during peak harvest seasons to optimize plant capacity, maximize commercial revenue, and minimize delivery truck turnaround times.
• Customized Services: Manage tailored client requests, including specialized color-sorting, bespoke bagging/packaging, and handling certified coffees (e.g., Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, etc.).

2. Client Relations & Custody Transparency

• Batch Segregation & Traceability: Implement foolproof operational protocols to prevent the cross-contamination or mixing of distinct client lots.
• Open-Gate Relations: Act as the primary technical liaison for cooperative boards and smallholders; host clients during milling sessions and deliver transparent, highly detailed milling reports.
• Dispute Resolution: Handle discrepancies between intake parchment weight, moisture analysis, and final green bean outturns using data-driven, auditable documentation.

3. Statutory Compliance, Safety & Environmental Stewardship

• Regulatory Returns: Ensure full compliance with the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA)/ Coffee Directorate regulations, ensuring valid milling licenses are maintained and statutory returns are filed accurately and on time.
• Environmental Compliance: Oversee waste management, dust emission control, and husk disposal protocols in strict alignment with NEMA (National Environment Management Authority) guidelines.
• Workplace Safety: Enforce comprehensive health and safety standards on the mill floor in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to maintain a zero-accident workplace.
• Food safety: Enforce compliance with food safety rules and regulations

4. Technical Maintenance & Financial Performance

• Asset Management: Implement rigorous ,sincere and hands-on preventive maintenance schedules for heavy milling machinery (hullers, graders, density separators, color sorters) to eliminate downtime during peak season.
• Ensure fleet maintenance, drivers’ job allocations and tasks
• Financial Accountability: Assist in formulating annual OPEX and CAPEX budgets; manage labour allocations and shifting schedules dynamically to hit plant profitability margins

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Milling Yield Recovery: Maintenance of a milling loss/milling deduction rate within the strict industry standard benchmark of 18.5% to 20% from parchment to green bean (depending on intake moisture content).
• Operational Uptime: Achievement of a minimum 95% machine uptime rate across all primary processing lines during peak harvest cycles.
• Client Retention & Satisfaction: Zero verified cases of batch cross-contamination and a target of 90% or higher client retention year-on-year.
• 8,500 MT milled per year