About This Coffee
Kapcheseny Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) is relatively new on the Western Kenya coffee scene. Founded towards the end of 2024, the FCS began from a coalition of farmers with a quality mindset who set out to form a new cooperative. Kapcheseny Factory, where they process their coffee together, is operated with a common interest in quality, volume and the shared goal of being more efficient.
Western Kenya is comparatively new to coffee, but as coffee production continues to expand in the region, we expect great things. Growing conditions around Mt. Elgon, where Kapcheseny is located, are ideal and combined with a passion for coffee production, it seems that the sky’s the limit for this new generation of grower.
Cultivation
Kapcheseny is located on the slopes of Mt. Elgon in Cheptais Sub-County, Bungoma County. The area is characterized by tropical rainforest climate and deep red-volcanic fertile soils. Around 62 farmers in the cooperative manage small plots with around 400 coffee trees.
Kapcheseny factory works closely with farmers to maintain high agricultural standards. Farmers in the fcs cultivate SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian and K7.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick ripe cherry and deliver it directly to Kapcheseny. Cherry is hand sorted at intake, and damaged, overripe and underripe cherry is removed before pulping.
Upon arrival, cherries are pulped and fermented for 12 to 24 hours. The parchment is then washed through grading channels using clean water before being soaked in clean, circulating water for around 24 hours. The parchment is then dried on raised beds for 14 to21 days depending on the weather, with regular turning to ensure even drying and to prevent mold or defects. Once dried, the coffee is hulled, graded and prepared.
AA Grade
Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AA beans are the largest size. AA grade coffees are those that are 17/18 screen size, meaning that they are larger than 7.2 millimeters.
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 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 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 K7
K7 is found mostly in Kenya and Tanzania and is known for its resistance to Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) and Coffee Berry Disease (CBD). The variety also has high yields and good cup potential at high altitudes. The plant is recognizable by its branch’s widespread.
K7 was selected from seedlings on Legetet Estate in Muhorohi, an estate owned by a man named R.H. Walker. In Kenya, K7 is less common in high-altitude areas, but it remains a popular choice in some lower-altitude regions due to its slight resistance to CLR.
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.