This archive report was first published on 10 October 2019.
October 10, 2019
Karen Blixen's marriage to Bror Blixen, a Danish aristocrat, ended in 1925 due to his lack of interest in managing their farm in Karen, Kenya. Bror preferred hunting and other social pursuits, leaving Karen to manage the farm on her own.
Despite her hard work and love for the land and her native workers, the soil on her farm was not suited for coffee growing. The farm experienced several unexpected dry years with low yields, which, coupled with declining world coffee prices, drove the business further into debt.
By 1931, the family corporation had forced Karen to sell the farm, marking the end of her entrepreneurial venture in Kenya.
