Kenya

Kiaragana AA

Within the Central Province in Mukure location of Ndia Division near Kerugoya town of Kirinyaga County, the Kiaragana Factory was opened in 1979 to collect cherries from farmers in the villages of Kiaragana, Nguguini, Karuku and Gathuthi. The Factory currently works with the Mwirua Farmers’ Co-operative Society Ltd. (FCS) and its 1,000 members. The FCS acts as a cooperative, assisting producers with processing and market access in addition to financial and agricultural resources.

Farm Kiaragana Factory
Varietal Batian, Ruiru 11, SL 28, SL 34
Process Fully washed
Altitude 1,701 meters above sea level
Region Kirinyaga County
Owner 1,000 smallholder producers
Tasting Notes Silky, medium-bodied, raspberries and cherries, chocolate, and a honey.
Farm Size Less than 1 hectare on average

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Kiaragana AA

During the harvest, after producers carefully handpick and deliver the ripe cherries to the Factory, they are sorted and sent to be processed. A disc pulper with three sets of discs is used to remove the external fruit from the seed. The coffee is then placed in tiled tanks to ferment overnight, breaking down the remaining sticky mucilage. The following morning, the coffee is cleaned, soaked, and washed one final time before being dispersed on raised beds to dry in the open sun. Drying typically takes 7 – 15 days to attain the ideal moisture content.

About Kenya

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.