About This Coffee
Founded in the early 1950s and registered in 1954, the Mutira Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) has supported over 3,000 smallholder farmers for decades through shared infrastructure and collective organization. Today, Mutira (FCS) operates seven washing stations (factories) in Kirinyaga, including Kagumo, Mutitu, Ngorano, Mugaya, Karii, Kiangutu and Kiamutuira. The Kagumo factory is one of the oldest. It was built in 1951 and is currently working with over 2,000 smallholder farmers who deliver cherries for processing and marketing.
Located in Kirinyaga County on the western slope of Mount Kenya, smallholder farmers in the region benefit from fertile volcanic soil and optimal weather conditions for coffee growing. Thanks to a suitable climate and careful processing, this Fully washed lot stands out for its distinctive flavor profile. For this coffee, expect a beautiful combination of floral notes and white grapes.
Cultivation
Farmers contributing to this lot grow SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian at altitudes between 1,600 and 1,800 meters above sea level. Farmers typically manage small plots averaging 300 to 500 coffee trees, which are usually grown alongside subsistence food crops, fruit trees and other crops, often used for animal fodder.
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. Additionally, Ruiru 11 is a new variety known for its disease resistance and high yields. It also starts yielding fruit after just 2 years.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherries are carefully hand-picked before being delivered to the Kagumo factory. At intake, the cherries are carefully hand-sorted to ensure the highest quality. Only the ripest are selected and pulped. After pulping, the coffee is fermented for 12 to 16 hours. The parchment is then washed through grading channels using clean water before being soaked in clean, circulating water for around 24 hours. This step of soaking was once very particular to Kenya coffee production, though in more recent years it’s become used in other specialty productions. Coffee is held under water, preserving its quality and limiting exposure to adulterants, while it awaits space on drying tables (historically during the peak harvest season). Recent research has shown that the step also has added benefit to the coffee’s final quality and longevity, adding clarity to the cup.
After soaking, parchment is delivered to dry on raised beds or in solar driers (covered greenhouses), where it will be turned regularly and covered during the hottest part of the day and evenings to ensure even drying. Typical drying time is 7 to 15 days, depending on the weather. Once drying is completed, parchment will be bagged, milled and ready to export.
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 SL28 & SL34
SL28 and SL34 were 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 thanks 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.
About Ruiru 11
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
About Batian
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.
About Kirinyaga
Kirinyaga County is nestled at the foothills of Mt. Kenya, roughly 112 km from Nairobi. The region is well-known for its exceptional coffee. Sucafina partners with numerous coffee farmers and cooperatives in the region, working with them to improve processing capacity, access to agricultural inputs and agricultural practices.
The locals in this area call Mt. Kenya ‘Kirinyaga’, the namesake of the county, meaning the crest of whiteness due to its famous snow-capped peaks.
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.