Kii AB
This AB lot was collectively grown by smallholder producers belonging to the Rung’eto Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS). Established in 1976, the FCS currently represents up to 1,214 small scale farmers, all with coffee plots of under 0.5 hectares on average. Farmers in this region first planted coffee in 1953, and since then, coffee has become a primary cash crop in the area. The Kii Factory is one of three wet mills owned and operated by the Rung’eto FCS and was constructed in 1995.
These farms overlook the famous elephant migration route that connects Aberdare and Mt. Kenya Forest. Along with elephants, there are many other wild animals such as buffaloes, antelopes and monkeys in the area. These, as well as many others, often find their way onto the farms to graze on the grassland or chew on the sweet coffee cherries.
- Farm Kii Factory
- Varietal SL34 & SL28
- Process Fully washed
- Altitude 1,310 to 1,900 metres above sea level
- Town / City Kerugoya
- Region Kirinyaga East District, Gichugu Division
- Owner 1,200 smallholder farmers
- Tasting Notes Juicy, floral, tropical fruit
- 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.