licensed kenya specialty coffee buyer and Importer
Dripping Springs Coffee Company
Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) licensed trader. Kenya coffee buyer and importer. Based in Dripping Springs, Texas and Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya coffee is considered by many to be the best in the world. Dripping Springs Coffee Company (DSCC) buys directly on the Nairobi Coffee Exchange with no middlemen, giving you ultimate control of your purchase experience. DSCC purchases speculative lots for resale, and buys on behalf of traders and roasters in the US. We also purchase directly from other county exchanges, cooperatives, and farmers. We are your direct connection to Kenya coffee. Dripping Springs Coffee Company, Inc. is a black female founded and owned enterprise.
the team
Anne Ciiku Drane - Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Anne Drane was born and raised in Kenya, and now resides in Dripping Springs, Texas with her husband Walter and daughter Haley. Anne is the founder of the 501(c)(3) charity SAWA SAWA, which is focused on providing security and empowerment to the rural women of Africa (www.sawasawausa.com). A KXAN video profile of Anne and SAWA SAWA is found here
Anne Drane earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Finance from Kenyatta University. She has completed graduate level coursework at Boston University, Penn State, among others. See LinkedIn Profile
Anne formed the Dripping Springs Coffee Company to provide direct access to the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, county exchanges, and coffee cooperatives and farmers.
Anne's family farmed coffee for generations and witnessed first hand unfair treatment that had been inherent in traditional business practices. Now, through the actions of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange to reduce bad actor activities and opportunities to work directly with coffee bean producers, fair and ethically procured coffee is now possible.
The Dripping Springs Coffee Company holds a Nairobi Coffee Exchange license to directly trade, one of less than 80 granted and approximately 5 in use at any given time. This gives our customers and clients a tremendous advantage over competitors that rely on middlemen traders.
Catherine (Kate) Wambui - Chief Operating Officer
Kate manages Kenya operations including logistics and liaising with local producers, and formerly was responsible for government certification of coffee factories (wash plants) and cooperatives.
Kate lives in Nairobi with her husband Simon and three daughters. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in Finance and Banking from Jomo Kenyatta University.
Walter H Drane V - Chief Financial Officer
Walter is responsible for Nairobi Coffee Exchange trading, corporate finance, USA logistics, and sales.
Walter is a United States Army veteran and has a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Finance from Oregon State University, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the San Francisco Institute of Architecture.
Walter is from Santa Monica, California, and now happily resides in Dripping Springs, Texas with wife Anne, daughter Haley, and sons Walter VI and Dylan.
Purity Muhindi - Legal Counsel and Auction Operations
Purity is in charge of all legal and auction related operations for the company. She is relentlessly driven and helps us navigate the ever-changing rules and practices of the Kenyan policies and procedures.