About This Coffee
Gititu Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) owns and operates Gititu Factory in Gitunduri, Kiambu. The name “gititu” comes from the Kikuyu word for “big forest,” a reference to the once-abundant forests in Kiambu.
Founded in 1954, Gititu FCS is one of the oldest cooperative societies in Kiambu. They built Gititu Factory in 1957 and today, the FCS owns and operates 8 factories that serve approximately 5,000 members total. Many of the staff at Gititu Factory have been working there for decades, and the attribute Gititu’s success to the FCS’s commitment to transparency and communication. In fact, Gititu FCS invites its members to attend auctions at Nairobi Coffee Exchange to witness their coffees being sold and more thoroughly understand how their coffees are sold.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherry and deliver it to Gititu Factory. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherry.
After intake, cherry is pulped and fermented for approximately 48 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed clean water and graded in grading channels. Then, parchment is laid to dry on raised beds. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. They cover drying parchment during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter parchment from moisture. It takes approximately 14 to 21 days for parchment to dry.
AB Grade
Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AB beans are those that are between screen size 15 and 18 meaning that beans are between 6 and 7 millimeters in size.
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.