Ngarutua Estate AB

Located on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Kenya in Embu County, Ngarutua Estate is a family farm run by the Muthathai family. The farm was originally established in the 1940s (when Kenya was still part of the British Colonial Empire) and was named after its founder, Mr. Paul Muthathai Ngarutua.  

The first coffee was planted on the farm in 1958, when it became legal for native Kenyans to plant coffee; however, the ten-acre farm was, at the time, legally limited to a maximum of 100 trees. This colonial legislation was to limit competition to, largely, white colonial landowners/farmers.  

That rule was lifted around 1960, just before Kenya achieved independence and the coffee sector opened up. The family planted more trees were during the ensuing period of the 1960’s and early 70’s. The farm was passed on to Paul’s wife, Dina Mukami Muthathai, who then passed it on to her son, Peterson Kariuki Muthathai and his wife, Purity Muthathai. After university, Peterson – now the current Director of The Kenya Planters Cooperative Union representing the Mount Kenya region –and his wife fully took on the farm operations. With the support of their children, they have invested heavily in the planting of more SL28 trees, Ruiru 11 and have begun trialing Geisha varieties. 

Beyond coffee production, the family invests in equipment, infrastructure and people, providing stable employment and skills development for those involved in the estate’s daily operations.  

This Fully washed AB lot comprises over 98% of the SL28 varietal, which is somewhat rare, as many farmers in the region have shifted to other varieties (such as Ruiru 11 or Batian) that offer greater disease resistance. However, the high percentage of SL28 brings unmatched sweetness and vibrancy to the cup, resulting in a bright, juicy profile that we love about Kenyan coffees. 

Ngarutua Estate lies around 1,600 meters  above sea level on the southeastern slopes of Mt. Kenya. 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 Kenyan coffee is famous for on the international cupping table. In addition, cool climate and fertile volcanic soil create an optimal environment to produce cherries with distinctive quality.  

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 to sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible. 

Cherries are selectively handpicked and sorted by floating, with only the ripest and densest fruits chosen. They are then pulped and dry fermented for around 20 hours. After a quick intermediate wash, the coffee undergoes a second fermentation for an additional 12 to 16 hours, depending on the weather. Following this stage, the coffee is washed in channels with clean water to fully remove any remaining mucilage. The parchment is then soaked in clean water for 24 hours before being moved to dry on raised beds.  

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 turned frequently to ensure even drying. Workers cover the parchment during the hottest part of the day to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to protect it from moisture. It takes approximately 14 to 20 days for parchment to dry, depending on the weather. Once the drying is completed, the parchment is bagged, milled and ready to export.   

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. 

Embu County lies just to the east of Mouth Kenya, with a good portion of land reaching into the foothills. Soil and climate in the region are ideal for farming coffee. Some of the country’s earliest factories (wet mills) were established here, and today some of Kenya’s best coffees come from this beautiful region.

Today, farmers across the region (like many in Kenya) face the dual challenges of low productivity combined with land fragmentation (smaller plot sizes). This makes the agronomic and technical support from our team at Sucafina in Kenya (Kenyacof) all the more important.

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.