About This Coffee
Established in 1998, Kirimahiga factory is a renowned coffee factory managed by the New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS). Besides Kirimahiga, New Kiriti FCS also operates two other wet mills (Kayu and Gondo factories). Smallholders in this region grow coffee on small plots of land (typically less than 1 hectare) and pick the cherries during harvest to deliver to the mill. There are two harvests in the Murang’a County, a main crop occurring from October to February and a fly crop occurring from April to May.
The factory and its partner farmers collectively value sustainability, demonstrated through several environmental impact–reducing initiatives. Water for processing is sourced from the Gondo River and all wastewater is directed into soak pits, allowing it to naturally filter back into the soil without contaminating local drinking sources.
Optimal growing conditions and a meticulous process allow this coffee to embody the beauty of the soil and varieties. This Fully washed AA lot offers lively stonefruit notes, layered with warm, milk-chocolate sweetness and almond.
Cultivation
The surrounding area of Kirimahiga factory typically lies between 1,700 and 1,900 meters above sea level. This altitude is critical: it slows the development of the coffee cherry, allowing complex sugars and acids to accumulate that produce the bright, winey, citrus-forward flavors that we all love about Kenya coffee.
Coffee is typically cultivated on fertile volcanic soils that are rich in minerals and organic matter necessary for optimal production. Most farmers manage small plots averaging 250 coffee trees, consisting of SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian varieties. 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 towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible. Ruiru 11 and Batian are newer varieties known for their disease resistance and high yields. They both start yielding fruit after just 2 years
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Smallholder farmers selectively handpick the ripest cherries and deliver them to the Kirimahiga factory. At intake, the cherries are washed using water from the Gondo River, then thoroughly sorted to ensure optimal quality. Selected cherries are then pulped and fermented for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the weather. Following fermentation, coffee is soaked for 24 hours before being moved to raised beds to dry.
Soaking is a step that historically was a method for ‘holding’ coffee in a stable environment until space was made available on the limited space available on drying beds during the peak of the harvest season. More recently, research has shown that soaking can add points to the final cup score and, potentially, contributes to a cleaner, brighter cup profile.
At the drying stage, the parchment is evenly laid and raked frequently to ensure even drying. Workers cover drying parchment during the hottest time of day to maintain slow, even drying and at night to shelter parchments from moisture. It takes approximately 15 to 21 days to complete the drying process.
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 Murang’a
Murang’a lies just south of Nyeri and backs onto the temperate slopes of the Aberdare Mountain range on its western borders. Fertile red volcanic soil provides plenty of nutrients for growing trees while warm daytime and cooler nighttime temperatures create the best environment for beans to develop slowly and amass as much sugar as possible.
Farms in the county tend to be small, and farmers cultivate coffee on small plots alongside other food crops.
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.