About the coffee
- Country: Kenya
- Region: Muranga County
- Farm / Producer: Mukangu Factory / Gacharage Farmers Cooperative Society
- Altitude: 1750 masl
- Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian
- Process: Washed
The Mukangu Factory is located in Kangema, in Murang’a County, in the highlands of central Kenya. The station was established in the 1970s and is one of five belonging to the Gacharage Farmers Cooperative Society.
Approximately 800 smallholder farmers supply harvested cherries to Mukangu, with most of them growing coffee on plots of less than one hectare. The coffee trees grow here at an altitude of 1650–1850 meters above sea level, in fertile, red volcanic soil. Along with coffee, the farmers also grow crops such as maize and beans – both for their own consumption and as an additional source of income.
This AB grade lot consists of SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian varieties – characteristic of modern coffee production in Kenya.
During harvest, ripe cherries are selectively hand-picked and delivered to the station, where they undergo further selection before pulping. The coffee is then processed using the classic Kenyan washed method. Fermentation lasts about 12–24 hours, after which the beans are thoroughly washed in clean water and may undergo an additional soaking stage. Finally, the parchment coffee is slowly sun-dried on raised beds.
The combination of high altitude, volcanic soil, careful cherry selection, and precise processing results in a coffee with a clean, expressive profile characteristic of Kenya.