About This Coffee
When they established Njemu Estate in 1998, Simon and Irene Nyaga were determined to change both the practice on and the perception of medium-scale coffee farming in Kenya. The Nyagas were focused on farm and quality management as the key to success. Njemu Estate is named after their two sons, Njeru and Muchiri.
Simon has been passionate about coffee farming since he was a boy in the 1960s, when he would accompany his father to the family farm (on the same land where he later established Njemu Estate). He inherited the land in the 1980s and, through careful cultivation and hard work, was able to send himself and all his siblings to university. Simon received a degree in Agricultural Economics and a certification in Plantation Management.
Irene has been involved in many aspects of planning and management at Njemu. She’s been in charge of human resources and has been a vital force in the farm’s development. She has overseen the farm’s expansion from it’s original 2,500 coffee trees to the current 8,000 coffee trees covering 3.2 hectares of land.
Today, Simon and Irene are co-directors of the estate. Together, they have established Njemu Estate as a leading producer of high-quality specialty coffee in Kenya.
Cultivation
The estate sits on the slopes of Mt. Kenya in Kirinyaga. Though it’s now dormant, Mt. Kenya is a volcano whose eruptions have made the soil surrounding Kenya’s highest peak richly fertile.
As trained agronomist Simon adheres to the best practices in crop management to best utilize and safeguard the nutrient-rich soil. He has developed crop management time tables for Njemu Farm that the farm follows strictly.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked. Pickers rotate and revisit trees every 8 to 10 days to pick only the ripe cherry. This process is more time consuming and more expensive but for Simon and Irene (and anyone who tastes their excellent coffee), the results are well worth the extra effort.
Harvested cherry is visually inspected and floated for density. Cherry is separated by color and degree of ripeness, which enables better calibration on the pulping discs and significantly reduces the number of damaged beans. Pulped cherry is fermented overnight. The following day, parchment is sent through washing channels at least 3 times and then soaked for 24 hours to clean off any remaining mucilage.
Parchment is then transferred to raised tables where it will sundry for 2 to 3 weeks. Shade nets cover parchment during the hottest parts of the day to ensure gentle and consistent drying. In the evening, wet mill staff cover the coffee with water resistant covers to protect against at humidity.
About Peaberries
PB stands for peaberry. Peaberry is a name given to a very specific shape of coffee bean. In Spanish, peaberries are called “caracol”, which means “snail”. The name aptly describes the shape of the peaberry bean, which appears slightly curved in on itself.
Peaberries are the result of a natural mutation in the coffee cherry. Whereas there are usually two beans nestled together in each fruit, a cherry with a peaberry mutation only forms one bean. Thus, peaberries are a single, rounder bean.
Peaberry mutations occur in approximately 5% of all coffee. The beans are known for being rounder, smaller and denser, which can contribute to a more even roast color when handled correctly. Many people find peaberries to have a sweeter flavor profile, as well.
Since peaberries are a natural mutation that is not visible from the outside of the cherry, peaberries must be sorted out during the screen grading stage of dry milling. The peaberry screens have the smallest holes, which are oblong to allow the rounder beans to fall through.
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.