Ndunduri Embu AB

Ndunduri factory is managed by Kibugu Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS), which was registered in 1964. Other members of Kibugu FCS include Kathakwa, Gicherori, Gikirima and Ngerwe. Established in the 1970s, Ndunduri factory is located in Manyatta, Embu County on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. The area surrounding the Ndunduri factory is densely populated and farmers typically have between 100 and 1000 coffee trees.

Ndunduri is currently working with around 1,400 smallholder farmers, who cultivate mainly SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian on small plots. At an elevation of 1,650 to 1,700 meters above sea level, farmers in the area benefit from fertile volcanic soils and a cool climate, factors that are optimal for cultivating high-quality coffee.  

Favorable conditions, combined with farmers’ dedication, result in a distinctive Kenyan profile that we all know and love. For this Fully washed AB lot, expect lively acidity, vibrant stonefruit notes and a lingering sweetness.  

The varieties cultivated in this area are primarily SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian. The ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They quickly 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 towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible.  

Introduced by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in 2010, Batian is a relatively new coffee variety named after the highest peak on Mt. Kenya. This variety is resistant to both Coffee Berry Disease (CBD) and Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) and offers the added advantage of early maturity, producing crops after just two years. Similarly, Ruiru 11 is a newer variety recognized for its disease resistance and high yields, beginning to yield fruit within the same two-year timeframe. 

Smallholders selectively handpick ripe cherries and deliver them to the factory, where the cherries are carefully sorted to ensure optimal quality. Selected cherries are pulped and fermented for approximately 12 to 24 hours, depending on the weather. Following fermentation, coffee is washed and soaked for 24 hours. This soaking stage is traditionally a way to structure post-harvest processing during peak season, when there will be limited space available on drying beds. However, it has been posited that additional benefits derive from the soaking process, such as clarity in the cup and overall longevity of green coffee.  

After soaking, the parchment is evenly laid to dry on raised beds or in a solar drier (covered greenhouses). During the drying process, workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. Additionally, the parchment is covered during the hottest time of day to shield it from direct sunlight and at night, to shelter the parchment from moisture. It typically takes 7 to 15 days for parchment to reach the desired moisture level. 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. 

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

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.

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. 

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.