Karie AA
This AA lot was produced by numerous smallholder farmers, all of whom are members of the Rutuma Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) delivering to Karie Coffee Factory (as washing stations/wet mills are called in Kenya). The factory is located near the town of Karatina, in Kenya’s Nyeri County.
Rutuma FCS is a relatively new entity. The Rutuma FCS Cooperative Society, was established in 1995 after the split of the Mathira FCS, which itself had 11 wet mills. In 2005, Ruthanga, Tumutumu and Marua farmers’ cooperative societies merged and formed Rutuma Amalgamated FCS Limited which was registered on January 5th, 2005. The various societies joining together already had existing community wet mills, which is how (despite its relatively recent birth) the society currently operates seven wet mills – namely, Ruthagati, Karie, Marua, Ngandu, Githima, Kianjogu and Ndurutu – and boasts an overall annual production of around 330 tonnes of green coffee annually.
- Farm Karie Factory
- Varietal Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
- Process Fully washed
- Altitude 1,900 metres above sea level
- Town / City Karatina
- Region Nyeri County, Central Kenya
- Owner 800 smallholder producers
- Tasting Notes Rhubarb, white grape, viscous
- 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.