About This Coffee
With the help of his family, Jamleck Njagi Ireri cultivated coffees on Zebra Estate. Situated in the well-known Kirinyaga County at a lofty 1,650 meters above sea level, Zebra Estate has great conditions for growing specialty coffee. Jamleck’s coffee stands out not just for its excellent quality, but also for its uniqueness as a Natural-process coffee from Kenya, where almost all coffee is washed processed.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked and dried on raised beds. Dried cherry is delivered to Kahawa Bora Dry Mill for processing and marketing.
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.