About This Coffee
Established in 1979, Wamuguma Factory is located in the Gatundu region of Kiambu County, on the slopes of the Aberdare Ranges. Currently, the factory is managed by the Ritho Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), which was registered in 1995. Ritho FCS works with over 3,000 registered smallholder members, with more than 900 farmers actively delivering cherries to Wamuguma Factory for processing and marketing.
Produced in Kiambu, a region with a rich history of coffee cultivation, this coffee carries the classic profile of Kenya coffee that we all know and love. This Fully washed coffee is graded as Peaberry (PB), which is well known for its distinctive shape and prized for its often-sweet cupping profile.
Cultivation
The areas around Wamuguma Factory typically lie between 1,700 and 1,800 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Aberdare Range. 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 Kiambu coffee is famous for on the international cupping table.
The region experiences a bimodal rainfall pattern. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and the short rains from October to December. Coffee flowers after a dry period followed by rains, meaning Kiambu typically produces one main crop harvested from October through January, with a smaller fly crop possible in mid-year. The temperature range of 15°C to 24°C and the deep, well-drained, humus-rich red clay soils (classified as nitisols) provide excellent natural conditions, but the farmer's input and agricultural practices are crucial to ensure that this potential is achieved.
Kiambu County is also well known as the largest dairy-producing county in Kenya. Many coffee growers in the region are adhering to organic fertilizing practices, using only cow manure instead of agrochemicals on their coffee trees.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherries and deliver them to Wamuguma Factory. At intake, the cherries are carefully sorted, ensuring only the ripest are selected. Selected cherries are then pulped and fermented for approximately 12 to 16 hours. After soaking, the parchment is washed with clean water to completely remove remaining mucilage before drying. 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 7 to 15 days to complete the drying process.
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 Kiambu
Kiambu is right outside Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi but is nonetheless known for agriculture – specifically coffee and tea. The county is also home of the Kenyan Coffee Research Foundation.
Kiambu County is also well known for its dairy production, and is the largest dairy producing county in Kenya. Many of the growers here adhere to organic fertilizing practices, using only cow manure instead of agrochemicals on their coffee trees.
Farmers in Kiambu face low production due to pests and disease while simultaneously having to pay high prices for inputs. In recent years, many have felt the strain and have sold their land to real-estate developers looking to build on the edge of Nairobi.
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.