About This Coffee
When President Jomo Kenyatta officiated the factory’s grand opening in 1964, he named the factory “Mwiria” (a Kikuyu word meaning “huge”) to commemorate a very old and large indigenous tree that used to grow on the factory grounds. This tree has additional significance as a symbol in the fight for independence from colonial powers.
Mwiria is one of 3 factories operated by Central Ngandori Farmer Cooperative Society (FCS). Today, over 1,000 farmers deliver cherry to the station, which produces over 69,000 kilograms of coffee each year.
Cultivation
Situated at the base of Mt. Kenya, smallholders delivering to Mwiria Factory cultivate SL28 and SL34 in volcanic nutrient-rich soil that benefit from an ideal altitude and microclimate. Trees are fed from the plentiful Rupingazi River, whose hard black volcanic rock helps filter the cool, clean water flowing from Mt Kenya’s peak.
Most smallholders intercrop coffee with other subsistence and cash crops including carrots, bananas and other fruit trees.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Three permanent employees operate Mwiria Factory and hire an additional 30 people during the peak of the season. Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherry and deliver it to Mwiria Factory. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherry.
After intake, cherry is pulped and wet fermented in Mwiria’s fermentation tanks for 12 to 28 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and graded in grading channels. Parchment is laid to dry on raised beds. During the busy season when the beds are in constant use, parchment may be soaked in clean, circulating water for up to 24 hours before being dried. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 14 to 21 days for parchment to dry.
In order to improve their environmental impact, Mwiria has 9 water soak pits that filter and drain wastewater from processing. By planting Napier grass and plenty of trees around the pits, excess nutrients and other processing byproducts are filtered from the water, keeping water sources cleaner & safer for nearby communities and helping to return nutrients to the soil and plants.
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.