Perched at 1650-1800 masl, the factory sits on the foothill of Mount Kenya, just outside of the town Kerugoya. Kirinyaga County is positioned approximately 192 kilometres northeast of Nairobi, sharing borders with the Nyeri and Embu Counties. The region offers favourable conditions for coffee cultivation, featuring mineral-rich red volcanic loam soils and the elevated altitudes characteristic of the area. This western part of Kirinyaga is known to have some of the most fertile soils in the country.
⚫︎ Harvest
The farmers cultivate SL 28, SL 34, Batian, and Ruiru 11 varieties on clay loam soil. The coffee plants flower from February to April and are harvested from October to January. The region receives 1400 mm of annual rainfall, with an average temperature of 20.5°C.
⚫︎ Processing
Once the cherries have been delivered to the washing station, they are handsorted. The underripes, insect damaged, and other defective cherries are removed. The cherries are then pulped and the parchment is fermented overnight. Once the fermentation is completed, the parchment is washed and separated into P1, P2, P3, and P light. It is then dried for 10 to 20 days.
After processing, the farmers of this cooperative take the cherry pulp home and mix it with cow manure to use as fertiliser on their farms.
