Mombasa tea auction prices 2026: weekly averages and trend

Updated 13 November 2026

Mombasa tea auction prices averaged US$2.36 per kilogram for CTC black tea at sale 45, held on 9 November 2026. That is the highest weekly average of 2026 so far, up from US$2.12 at the first sale of the year on 5 January. Across sales 1 to 45, about 382 million kg of tea sold at a volume-weighted average of roughly US$2.21 per kg, based on the East African Tea Trade Association (EATTA) sales figures. This page lists the 2026 numbers, shows the monthly trend and explains what moves the price.

Updated 13 November 2026. Figures come from the EATTA tea auction statistics page and its 2026 weekly sales report, checked on 13 November 2026. Monthly averages and values are Business Radar calculations from those weekly figures.

Latest Mombasa tea auction prices

Prices at Mombasa are quoted and settled in US dollars per kilogram. EATTA says the sale is the world’s largest black CTC tea auction and the only multi-origin tea auction, so these averages cover teas from Kenya and other East and Central African producers, not Kenyan tea alone. Orthodox tea, a smaller specialty segment, sells in alternate weeks in 2026 and fetches a higher price per kg.

Mombasa tea auction prices by month in 2026

The table groups the weekly sales by month. The average price is weighted by kilograms sold, and the value is our estimate (kg sold multiplied by the weekly average), not an EATTA figure.

Recent weekly sales

These weekly Mombasa tea auction prices are the combined averages EATTA reports for each sale. In weeks with an orthodox session, the combined figure sits slightly above the CTC-only average.

What the 2026 figures show

• Prices are at the year’s high. Mombasa tea auction prices have risen for most of the last two months, from US$2.21 per kg at sale 39 to US$2.36 at sale 45. The year’s low was US$2.09 at sale 19 on 11 May.
• Volumes have fallen sharply. Sales of 11 to 11.7 million kg a week in June gave way to about 6.3 to 6.9 million kg a week from September. Less tea on offer is one reason buyers are paying more per kilogram.
• June was the biggest month. Five June sales moved almost 55 million kg, worth an estimated US$120 million, the highest of the year.
• Orthodox teas earn a premium. Orthodox averages ranged from US$2.30 to US$3.58 per kg this year, well above CTC, but volumes are tiny: usually 30,000 to 100,000 kg a sale.

For farmers, higher Mombasa tea auction prices do not pass through one-for-one. Factory costs, the shilling exchange rate on payment day, and any levy all sit between the hammer price and the farmer’s monthly payment and bonus. Our page on top tea-producing counties in Kenya shows where the green leaf comes from.

How the Mombasa tea auction works

EATTA describes three players and one price. A producer offers tea and appoints a broker as selling agent. The broker samples, values and catalogues each lot and earns a commission on the sales value. Buyers taste the samples, then bid in open competition and pay in US dollars for export or packing. EATTA says more than 70 buyers take part and that Mombasa handles 32% of global tea exports.

The step-by-step chain, according to EATTA’s guide to the auction:

1. The factory sends packed tea to an EATTA member warehouse in Mombasa.
2. The broker draws samples, values each lot and lists it in the catalogue with grade and weight.
3. Buyers taste the samples and decide which lots to bid on.
4. On sale day, lots are offered one by one on the electronic trading platform.
5. The buyer pays, the producer receives the proceeds through the bank, and the warehouse releases the tea.

The auction went fully digital between 2016 and 2020 through the integrated Tea Trading System, and since 2023 a multi-hall system runs several sessions at once. Kenyan coffee sells through a similar auction; compare the latest Nairobi Coffee Exchange auction result.

What moves Mombasa tea auction prices

• Supply: weather drives green-leaf output, so dry spells reduce volumes and wet seasons raise them.
• Quality and grade: buyers pay more for the grades and liquor their customers want; plain teas sell at a discount.
• Export markets: demand from the main buying countries matters. The lifting of Sudan’s import ban, covered in our report on the Sudan tea ban, reopens one such market.
• Currency: buyers pay in dollars, so a weaker or stronger shilling changes what producers receive in KSh even when the dollar price is flat.

Listed tea growers report the effect in their results; see the latest Williamson Tea results and Kapchorua Tea dividend history.

Frequently asked questions

What is the current Mombasa tea auction price?

The CTC average at sale 45 on 9 November 2026 was US$2.36 per kg for 6.84 million kg sold, per EATTA. The last orthodox average, at sale 44, was US$3.58 per kg.

How often is the Mombasa tea auction held?

Every week. EATTA numbers its sales through the year; 45 sales had been held in 2026 by 9 November, mostly on Mondays.

In what currency are tea auction prices quoted?

US dollars per kilogram. Buyers pay in dollars, and producers receive the proceeds through their banks.

Why are Mombasa tea auction prices rising?

The clearest change in the EATTA data is supply: weekly volumes fell from about 11 million kg in June to under 7 million kg from September, while the average price climbed from US$2.21 to US$2.36 per kg between sales 39 and 45.

Where can I see the latest tea auction results?

EATTA’s statistics page shows the latest sale, the year to date and a weekly report that can be downloaded as Excel or PDF.

Are Mombasa tea auction prices only for Kenyan tea?

No. Mombasa is a multi-origin auction, so the averages include teas from other East and Central African producers sold through the same sale.