About This Coffee
On the slopes of Mt. Kenya, 1,400 farmers cultivate sweet, dense cherry in the mountain’s ideal microclimate. They deliver their ripe, red cherry to Kiungu Factory, located in Embu, in Eastern Kenya. The factory is managed by Kathima Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS).
Cultivation
Farmers cultivate SL-28 and Ruiru-11 in small plots, typically about 130 to 200 trees. The main crop runs from March to June and the fly crop from October to December.
The region has ideal conditions for cultivating coffee. The soil is red volcanic and the mild climate of 12 to 27 degrees Celsius, combined with the high altitudes, creates the warm days and cool nights that are essential for slow, sweet cherry development.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers deliver their cherry to Kiungu Factory for processing. Cherry is visually inspected at intake and pulped on a disc pulper. Then, coffee is fermented overnight and washed in clean water. Parchment is soaked in fresh water for an additional 24 hours and then laid on drying beds to sundry. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 7 to 15 days for parchment to dry. To reduce their environmental footprint and water usage, wastewater is processed in soaking pits and recirculated at the factory to conserve water.
AA Grade
Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AA beans are the largest size. AA grade coffees are those that are 17/18 screen size, meaning that they are larger than 7.2 millimeters.
About Embu
Embu County lies just to the east of Mouth Kenya, with a good portion of land reaching into the foothills. Soil and climate in the region are ideal for farming coffee. Some of the country’s earliest factories (wet mills) were established here, and today some of Kenya’s best coffees come from this beautiful region.
Today, farmers across the region (like many in Kenya) face the dual challenges of low productivity combined with land fragmentation (smaller plot sizes). This makes the agronomic and technical support from our team at Sucafina in Kenya (Kenyacof) all the more important.
Coffee in Kenya
Though coffee growing had a relatively late start in Kenya, the industry has gained and maintained a impressive reputation. Since the start of production, Kenyan coffee has been recognized for its high-quality, meticulous preparation and exquisite flavors. Our in-country sister company, Sucafina Kenya, works with farmers across the country to ensure these exceptional coffees gain the accolades they deserve.
Today, more than 600,000 smallholders farming fewer than 5 acres compose 99% of the coffee farming population of Kenya. Their farms cover more than 75% of total coffee growing land and produce nearly 70% of the country’s coffee. These farmers are organized into hundreds of Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS), all of which operate at least one factory. The remainder of annual production is grown and processed by small, medium and large land estates. Most of the larger estates have their own washing stations.
Most Kenyan coffees are fully washed and dried on raised beds. The country still upholds its reputation for high quality and attention to detail at its many washing stations. The best factories employ stringent sorting practices at cherry intake, and many of them have had the same management staff in place for years.