Kanjathi AA
Within the Murang’a County along the slopes of the Aberdare Range is the Kanjathi Factory, or wet mill. 1,300 smallholders in this region contribute coffee cherries to this mill and belong to the Kangiri Cooperative Society.
The Cooperative was established in the early 1960s, and works with a number of Factories, including Kanjathi, to provide better opportunities to smallholder producers. The Murang’a County is known for its agriculture, and in addition to coffee, locals may also grow tea, maize, and beans whilst also fishing, maintaining livestock for milk and hives for honey.
- Farm Kanjathi Factory
- Varietal Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
- Process Fully washed
- Altitude 1,500 to 1,700 meters above sea level
- Region Murang’a County
- Owner 1,300 smallholder producers
- Tasting Notes Tea-like, cranberry, rhubarb
- Farm Size Less than 1 hectare on average
Despite its proximity to the birthplace of coffee, Ethiopia, coffee growing was introduced in Kenya relatively late – by Scottish missionaries, initially, and then commercially around 1900. Despite the late start, today, it is a country renowned for having some of the best coffees in the world. Nonetheless, Kenya’s coffee sector faces challenges for the future, and low global prices combined with climate change and population growth have diminished the country’s output over the last decade.