About This Coffee
Boma Factory is operated by Boma Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), a cooperative serving farmers across Kericho County, in Kenya’s Rift Valley. The cooperative was established in 1999 and now consists of 1,346 smallholders, who produce an average of 850,000 kilograms of cherries annually. The FCS is run by a 9 member board along with 3 supervisory committee members and employs 8 permanent staff year-round. Staffing grows up to 48 people during the height of the harvest season (September – Decemember).
This Fully washed AB Plus is carefully processed at the factory (which is what washing stations are called in Kenya) with an eye towards achieving a pleasant floral and fruity profile, along with a hint of subtle sweetness.
Cultivation
Although arguably less well-known than some historically famous coffee growing regions, Kenya’s Rift Valley is increasingly at the forefront of coffee farming. The climate and high altitudes are ideal for high quality production, and the region’s fertile volcanic soils mixed with red clay lend themselves well to growing some of the country’s most famous varieties.
Coffee is cultivated at elevations of 1,800 to 1,900 meters above sea level on these fertile volcanic soils. Most farmers manage small plots averaging 300 to 400 coffee trees, consisting of SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian varieties. Consistent rainfall, cool mountain temperatures, and traditional cultivation methods contribute to slow cherry development, producing beans with distinctive quality.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe cherries are selectively handpicked by smallholder farmers and delivered to Boma factory. The cherries are then hand-sorted at intake before pulping. After pulping into tanks, coffee then undergoes fermentation for 12 to 24 hours. After fermentation, parchment is washed through grading channels using clean water, followed by soaking in clean, circulating water for approximately 24 hours. This step helps manage drying bed availability during peak harvest periods while also enhancing the coffee’s quality and longevity. After soaking, the parchment is dried on raised beds for an average of 7 to 21 days, depending on weather conditions. Once dried, coffee is hulled, graded, and prepared for sale.
AB Plus
AB is screen size 15/16.
Plus denotes the highest prep quality grade. Plus is the quality above FAQ and is marked by no primary defects and fewer than 5 secondary defects.
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
Kenya Region : Rift Valley
Kenya's Rift Valley has emerged as a growing hub for coffee production, particularly towards the western regions. While historically secondary to central highlands around Mount Kenya (think Kiambu, Muranga, Nyeri, etc), farmers in the region now contribute significantly to national output.
Early coffee production in Kenya was focused on the Central regions, but Rift Valley regions such as Kericho, Nandi, Bomet and Trans-Nzoia began expanding in the mid-20th century after Kenya achieved independence in 1963. At this point, land ownership was shifted to smallholders via the Swynnerton Plan (1950s), transforming Kericho's coffee into cooperative-driven small farm production. Farmers in the region at that point began diversifying from the traditional maize and tea production, and they were encouraged by a burgeoning cooperative structure within the country alongside ideal coffee growing conditions.
Kericho's coffee sector is experiencing new attention – something of a revival – with production increasing due to government support and diversification from tea amid favorable prices and soils. Today, Kericho ranks among Rift Valley producing areas (with Nakuru, Nandi), focusing on sustainable agroforestry.
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.