This natural lot comes from the Njuriga Washing Station, located in the Nyeri County district. Nyeri County is a county located in the central region of Kenya, on the southwest flank of Mount Kenya which is an extinct volcano and the second-highest peak in Africa, after Kilimanjaro.
At this station, there's an outstanding team dedicated to quality and innovation, unafraid to experiment, learn, and grow. It is owed by the Njuriga Farmers’ Cooperative Society, which consists of a single wet mill serving fewer than 200 farm families who grow coffee on less than an acre of land above 1700 meter in the highlands southwest of Mt. Kenya. The farmers grow SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11 in red volcanic soil under forest condition.
Coffee was for a long time one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners, providing livelihoods and income for millions of Kenyan farmers and rural communities. However, over the last two decades, coffee has lost its contribution due to several local and global factors, leaving small-scale coffee farmers, like the Njuriga ones, as an impoverished position. Coffee production has declined from 130,000 Metric Tons (MT) to an average of 40,000 MT. The Kenya Government in collaboration with the County Governments is developing regulations and policies that are aimed at reviving the sector.
Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters (KCCE) was established in 2009 with government support to assist Kenyan coffee farmers in improving their control over marketing, aiming for higher profits, and addressing sector challenges.
Its mission is “To increase our Co-operative’s networks and deliver innovative products and services outside of Africa to positively impact our communities”.
Collectively, coffee cooperatives and Unions are shareholders of KCCE but they are not obligated to market their coffee with KCCE. They are at liberty to market with marketing agents of their choice as long as they get good services.
Regarding the processing of this coffee, it is known as the "dry process” or natural. This method involves drying the coffee inside the coffee cherry in the sun, which requires minimal to no water. After harvesting, the ripe coffee cherries are placed on raised coffee beds, where they are regularly turned and raked to ensure uniform drying. Through this process, the natural sugars and flavors of the cherry are transferred to the bean, resulting in a distinct natural coffee taste. Natural Kenyas are not often available, so be surprised by this coffee with its beautiful sweetness and full body.
In the cup: Cocoa, red cherry, tropical fruits, floral and vanilla notes. Rich winey aftertaste and creamy texture.
Minimum resting period: 10 days from the roast date for espresso, 7 days for filter roast.