Country: Kenya
Region: Karundu, Nyeri
Varietal: SL28, Ruiru 11, Batian
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1,800 - 2,100 MASL
Cupping Notes: Hibiscus, Orange, Floral Honey
Recommended Roast:City to Full City
Good For: Auto Drip, Pour Over, Espresso

Description: Gachatha Coffee Factory rests on a 392-acre piece of land between the villages of Muthuaini, Thiriku, Gachenge, and Kianjau. The Gachatha Farmers’ Co-operative Society Ltd. Co-op was founded in 1963 and currently has 1,542 members. The factory treats all water in soak pits to ensure no contaminates run into the local waterways, which are a source for drinking water. The community also places great importance on protecting the indigenous trees that remain in the area so that the local bird life can be sustained.

Gachatha Coffee Factory experiences moderate bimodal rainfall and temperatures here range from 13 to 24C year round. The main varieties of coffee grown here are SL28, Batian, SL34 and Ruiru 11. The region has deep, fertile well-drained red volcanic soils which are ideal for coffee production.

After picking, ripe cherry is brought to the factory by smallholder farmers before it undergoes processing to remove the skin and pulp – known as the wet processing method. The factory is dependent on electrical pumps to move water to reservoir tanks before using it for processing, and water is recirculated for conservation. The factory uses a disc pulper with three sets of discs to remove the skin and fruit from the inner parchment layer that is protecting the green coffee. After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight to break down the sugars before it is cleaned, soaked, and spread out on raised drying tables. Time on the drying tables depends on climate, ambient temperature and total production volumes currently undergoing processing.

We’ve been fans of the Gachatha Factory for years now, and plan to expand our offerings from Kenya in the coming harvests. There seems to be a disconnect with coffee from Kenya, as coffee buyers hold them in extremely high regard, but for whatever reason that regard isn’t maintained throughout the chain. Our hope is that incredible coffees like this one will garner more appreciation for coffees from Kenya. This was the team favorite on the cupping table for Kenya arrivals, we get notes of Hibiscus, Orange, and a hint of Mango, along with the sweetness of a Floral Honey.