Kenya: Mwiria AB

When President Jomo Kenyatta officiated the factory’s grand opening in 1964, he named the factory “Mwiria” (a Kikuyu word meaning “huge”) to commemorate a very old and large indigenous tree that used to grow on the factory grounds. This tree has additional significance as a symbol in the fight for independence from colonial powers.

Mwiria is one of 3 factories operated by Central Ngandori Farmer Cooperative Society (FCS). Today, over 1,000 farmers deliver cherry to the station, which produces over 69,000 kilograms of coffee each year.

SOILS AND CLIMATE

Situated at the base of Mt. Kenya, smallholders delivering to Mwiria Factory cultivate SL28 and SL34 in volcanic nutrient-rich soil that benefit from an ideal altitude and microclimate. Trees are fed from the plentiful Rupingazi River, whose hard black volcanic rock helps filter the cool, clean water flowing from Mt Kenya’s peak.

Most smallholders (farmers who's land is less than 5 acres) intercrop coffee with other subsistence and cash crops including carrots, bananas and other fruit trees.

COFFEE PRODUCTION AND PROCESSING

Three permanent employees operate Mwiria Factory and hire an additional 30 people during the peak of the season. Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherry and deliver it to Mwiria Factory. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherry.

After intake, the cherry is pulped and wet fermented in Mwiria’s fermentation tanks for 12 to 28 hours. Following fermentation, the coffee is washed with clean water and graded in grading channels. The berries are laid to dry on raised beds. During the busy season when the beds are in constant use, the berries may be soaked in clean, circulating water for up to 24 hours before being dried. Workers rake the berries frequently to ensure even drying. Drying takes approximately 14 to 21 days.

WATER USE

In order to improve their environmental impact, Mwiria has 9 water soak pits that filter and drain waste water from processing. By planting Napier grass and plenty of trees around the pits, excess nutrients and other processing byproducts are filtered from the water, keeping water sources cleaner & safer for nearby communities and helping to return nutrients to the soil and plants.

Details:

• Variety: SL28 & SL34, 100% Arabica
• Altitude: 1300 - 1900m
• Processing method: washed
• Notes: blueberry, white grape, black tea.
• Quantity: 250 gr or 500 gr beans
• Our coffee bags are 100% recyclable, produced CO2-neutral and can be disposed of in the plastic waste (in Belgium: PMD-bag). Also check out our CoffeeVac containers, which we sell to shop without the use of packaging from us. When using this system (only possible for pick up- or personal delivery-orders), you earn a discount (saver-system) per ordered 250gr/150gr coffee beans.
• These beans are roasted on 100% green energy (solar + wind).

Foremost, we choose to supply beans. After 15 minutes the aromas of ground coffee are gone. We can grind on request, but it is not something we offer as standard. More info you can find on our blog!

On our website you can discover our range of manual and electric grinders .