Pangea

Kenia/Lavado

Price range: 9,00 € through 65,00 €

Weight

Type

Roast

Clear

Process

Kenia/Lavado

Variety

SL 28, RUIRU 11, BATIAN

Altitude

1.550 MSNM

Region

Kirinyaga County.

Roast

87.25

SCA Score

Medium Light Roast, Medium Dark Roast

Notes

Lime, pear, and panela.

Description

With nearly 700,000 coffee producers — approximately 70% of whom are smallholders — Kenya stands out as a unique coffee-producing country in East Africa. In Kirinyaga County, along the slopes of Mount Kenya, lies the Kagumo Factory washing station.

A total of 1,561 small-scale farmers from this region deliver coffee cherries to this washing station and are members of the Mutira Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS). Located at 1,550 meters above sea level, the region is known for its bright red soils, rich in essential nutrients for coffee cultivation.

The high altitude provides ideal temperatures and rainfall levels for the slow maturation of the cherries. Smallholder farmers cultivate coffee on small plots of land and handpick the cherries during harvest before delivering them to the washing station.

Process

Once the cherries arrive at the washing station, the coffee is washed using water from local rivers. After depulping, the coffee is placed in large tanks to ferment underwater, allowing the outer mucilage to break down, typically overnight.

The coffee then moves through washing channels, where it is cleaned one final time before being evenly spread on raised drying beds to dry under the sun until the desired moisture level is reached.

Both the producers and the washing station place a strong emphasis on sustainability, implementing various projects to reduce environmental impact. The wastewater used during processing is carefully managed through filtration pits, allowing it to be absorbed into the soil without contaminating drinking water sources.