Cookie Policy

1. Who this policy covers

This Cookie Policy describes how the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) uses cookies and similar technologies when you visit our public website. NCE serves growers, cooperatives, licensed brokers, buyers, roasters, financiers, regulators, and the wider coffee community by publishing official information on coffee auctions, market reports, notices, licensing, and exchange operations. Some features—such as embedded media, live chat, or machine translation—may rely on third-party tools that set their own cookies. This policy explains what we aim to achieve with our own technologies and what you can expect from common third parties when you use our site.

For how we handle personal data more broadly, see our Privacy Policy. This Cookie Policy should be read together with that notice.

2. What are cookies and similar technologies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They can be session cookies (removed when you close your browser) or persistent cookies (kept for a defined period).

We also refer to similar technologies, such as browser storage (for example localStorage), pixels, and scripts that remember preferences or support security and performance in a comparable way. Where this policy says “cookies,” it includes those technologies unless we say otherwise.

3. Why NCE uses cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to support legitimate interests in operating a reliable public platform for Kenya’s coffee exchange ecosystem, including to:

• Deliver core website functionality (navigation, load balancing, and protection against abuse).
• Remember language and accessibility preferences so stakeholders can read notices, circulars, and market information in a form that works for them.
• Maintain secure administrative access for NCE staff and authorised content roles who manage publications, approvals, and digital services.
• Understand aggregate demand for public content (for example which sections are most used) so we can improve clarity of auction calendars, reports, and stakeholder resources—without selling personal data.

4. First-party cookies and storage

Depending on how you use the site, our systems may set or read the following categories of first-party cookies or browser storage:

• Strictly necessary / security. Values that help the application route requests correctly, enforce publication rules where configured, and keep sessions consistent as you move between pages (for example cookies used with our server middleware).
• Language preference. We may store your selected locale (for example an nce_locale cookie and matching value in browser storage) so the site can remember your language choice across visits.
• Machine translation (optional). If you choose a non-English language using our translation feature, a standard Google Website Translator cookie (often named googtrans) may be set so the selected translation can apply across pages. That cookie is controlled by Google’s translator service when enabled from our site.
• Administrator sign-in. If you access NCE’s protected admin or content tools, an authenticated session cookie (for example nce_admin_session) may be used to keep you signed in for a limited time. Ordinary visitors browsing public market information will not receive this cookie.
• Visitor analytics identifiers (browser storage). To improve resilience and measure anonymous traffic patterns, we may store pseudonymous identifiers in localStorage (for example to distinguish repeat visits from one browser) when you use the public site. These values are not used to sell data or to profile individuals for unrelated marketing.
• Performance caching. We may cache certain public API responses in your browser for a short time so repeat views of auction highlights, notices, or homepage sections load faster for users on slower connections.

5. Third-party cookies and embedded services

Parts of our website may load reputable third-party services to support accessibility, communication, or rich media. Those providers may set or read their own cookies when their scripts or frames run. Examples may include:

• Live chat (Tawk.to). After you interact with the page, we may load a chat widget so stakeholders can reach the Exchange. Tawk may use cookies to maintain chat sessions and remember widget state. See Tawk’s own cookie documentation for details.
• Google services. We may use Google’s website translator widget for optional page translation, and we may embed YouTube videos for exchange updates or education. Google may set cookies when those features load. Google Maps may appear on our contact or location content; Google’s terms and cookie policies then apply to that embedded experience.
• Accessibility tooling. We may load an accessibility enhancement script from a CDN so visitors can adjust contrast or text sizing where supported.
• Analytics (optional). If configured for our deployment, we may load privacy-conscious analytics (for example Google Analytics via Google Tag Manager) to understand aggregate traffic to public sections such as market reports and auction calendars. Where used, such tools rely on cookies or similar identifiers as described in the provider’s policy.

Third-party technologies change from time to time. If you block third-party cookies entirely, embedded video, maps, chat, or translation may not work as intended.

6. Cookies and NCE digital services

This policy focuses on the public NCE website (information about the Exchange, notices, reports, and related resources). If you use separate trading, auction, or banking portals operated by NCE partners or licensed platforms, those services will have their own cookie notices and security controls. Links from our site to external portals are provided for convenience; their cookie practices are governed by those operators.

7. Legal basis and Kenya context

Where the Kenya Data Protection Act, 2019 and related regulations apply, we rely on appropriate grounds for processing—such as your consent where required (for example for non-essential cookies where we request it), performance of a task in the public interest, or legitimate interests in operating and securing our digital channels—balanced against your rights. Essential cookies needed to provide the service you request may not require consent in the same way as optional analytics; we still describe them here for transparency.

This summary is not legal advice. If you need formal guidance on regulatory filings, speak to your legal adviser or contact us using the details below.

8. How you can control cookies

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies, block third-party cookies, or alert you before a cookie is stored. You can usually find these controls under “Privacy,” “Security,” or “Site settings.” If you clear cookies, you may need to sign in again to admin tools or re-select your language.

You can also install reputable tracker-blocking extensions. Be aware that aggressive blocking may break embedded auction streams, PDF downloads, or chat features that depend on scripts and storage.

9. Data retention

First-party cookies we set generally expire after a defined lifetime (for example session end or a number of months for preferences). Analytics or chat providers apply their own retention schedules. We configure our services to avoid keeping personal data longer than necessary for the purpose described in our Privacy Policy.

10. Updates to this policy

We may update this Cookie Policy when we add new digital services (for example new stakeholder portals), change analytics tools, or respond to regulatory guidance. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we publish a revision. Continued use of the site after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy where permitted by law.

11. Contact

Questions about this Cookie Policy or how NCE uses cookies may be sent to nce@nce.co.ke, or in writing to Nairobi Coffee Exchange, Wakulima House, Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi, Kenya.