Chepsangor Hills Estate Natural  

Founded in 2018 by Dr. Rosebella Langat and her husband, Chepsangor Hills Estate is a vertically integrated farm located in Nandi Hills, Kenya. Passion for sustainable coffee farming and community empowerment is the force behind this farm. Chepsangor Hills Estate helps establish the Chepsangor Women in Coffee, a women-led producer group with over 100 members, providing seedlings, training and processing support. In addition, Chepsangor runs educational programs, including fermentation camps, organic farming workshops and leadership training, that highlight its dedication to women’s empowerment in rural communities and to improving long-term farmer profitability.

The farm is also recognized for its commitment to processing innovation. In 2025, Chepsangor partnered with microbiologist Lucia Solis to develop two experimental lots using controlled yeast and bacterial fermentations, enhancing consistency while reducing labor demands. The estate produces an average of 300 bags annually, most of which are sold through direct export partnerships in Europe.  

The estate works with 100 farmers who cultivate SL28, Batian and Ruiru 11 at an elevation of 1,850 meters above sea level. This altitude is crucial: it naturally encourages slow cherry maturation, resulting in sweet, dense beans and a complex flavor profile. Optimal growing conditions and meticulous processing result in the complex flavor of this Fully washed lot. Expect sweet, vibrant fruit notes, lively acidity, and a smooth, comforting finish. 

Farmers working with Chepsangor Hills Estate cultivate primarily SL28, Ruiru 11 and Batian in small coffee gardens that are, on average, smaller than 1 hectare. Located at an elevation of 1,850 meters above sea level, farmers benefit from a cool climate, ample rainfall and rich volcanic soils. Favorable conditions allow cherries to mature slowly, producing sweet, dense beans with complex flavor profiles.   

The ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. They are cultivated with a serious eye to sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible.

Batian is a relatively new variety introduced by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in 2010. Batian is named after the highest peak on Mt. Kenya and is resistant to both CBD and CLR. The variety has the added benefit of early maturity, cropping after only two years. Similar to Batian, Ruiru 11 is a new variety known for its disease resistance and high yields. It also starts yielding fruit after just 2 years. 

Smallholder farmers selectively handpick only ripe cherries and deliver them to the Chepsangor factory to process. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherries. After sorting, cherries are delivered to dry on raised beds or in solar driers (covered greenhouses). During this stage, workers rake parchment frequently and cover it during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter the parchment from moisture. It takes approximately 7 to 20 days for parchment to dry. 

SL28 and SL34 were just two of the cultivars released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) during the height of SAL’s research in Kenya in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the cultivars of choice for most growers due to their deep root structure that allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. SL varieties also had higher yields than the French Bourbon rootstock that they replaced and were known to be somewhat more disease resistant.

While SL varieties are still highly sought after today, they’ve become less widely cultivated in Kenya due to their relatively low resistance to coffee leaf rust (CLR). Compared to more recent varieties, SL varieties are more susceptible to diseases and pests and require very specific altitudes and climates to flourish. However, that hasn’t stopped specialty-focused farmers, who, inspired by the flavors and popularity of SL varieties, have have spread the cultivation of SL varieties worldwide.

Ruiru 11, a hybrid of Catimor and SL cultivars, is both Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) resistant. Plus, it can be planted at a much higher density than the SL varieties, making optimal use of small plots of land.

Ruiru 11 has slowly ‘taken root’ across most of Kenya’s coffee growing landscape. The only issues were that with a shallower root structure, many farmers found the plant less hardy in drought conditions, and the trees required a more intense feeding program. Over time, farmers have found that by grafting Ruiru-11 to SL varieties they could take advantage of SL trees’ expansive root system and still reap the increased yields and higher immunity to disease of Ruiru-11.

Due to the grafted Ruiru-11’s growing popularity, most farms in Kenya today, both big and small, have a mixture of Ruiru-11 and SL varieties. As SL trees age, many farmers are opting to turn more towards Ruiru-11 (or the grafting solution) thanks to its ease of use and higher resistance to diseases.

Source: https://varieties.worldcoffeeresearch.org/varieties/ruiru-11 & https://sucafina.com/na/news/think-you-know-kenya-coffee-varieties-think-again

Developed by Kenya's Coffee Research Institute in 2010, Batian is named after the highest peak on Mt. Kenya and is resistant to both coffee berry disease (CBD) and coffee leaf rust (CLR). The variety has the added benefit of early maturity – cropping after only two years. Some challenges (such as vegetative structure) have prevented it from becoming widespread so far, but its popularity is certainly growing.

Kenya's Rift Valley has emerged as a growing hub for coffee production, particularly towards the western regions. While historically secondary to central highlands around Mount Kenya (think Kiambu, Muranga, Nyeri, etc), farmers in the region now contribute significantly to national output. 

Early coffee production in Kenya was focused on the Central regions, but Rift Valley regions such as Kericho, Nandi, Bomet and Trans-Nzoia began expanding in the mid-20th century after Kenya achieved independence in 1963. At this point, land ownership was shifted to smallholders via the Swynnerton Plan (1950s), transforming Kericho's coffee into cooperative-driven small farm production. Farmers in the region at that point began diversifying from the traditional maize and tea production, and they were encouraged by a burgeoning cooperative structure within the country alongside ideal coffee growing conditions.   

Kericho's coffee sector is experiencing new attention – something of a revival – with production increasing due to government support and diversification from tea amid favorable prices and soils. Today, Kericho ranks among Rift Valley producing areas (with Nakuru, Nandi), focusing on sustainable agroforestry.