Mikari Farmers Co-operative Society
Our Kenyan beans are sourced from family owned farms around the Mukurwe Mill in Kiambu County, Kenya. The Mikari Factory is managed by the Mikari Farmers Co-operative Society. The Mikari factory processes coffee from members who generally cultivate around 250 coffee trees on half-acre plots.
Kiambu county is located just outside of Nairobi city. Kiambu County has cool temperatures and fertile central highlands, lying between the Eastern base of the Aberdare (Nyandarua) Range, which forms part of the Eastern end of the Great Rift Valley, and the Western slopes of Mt. Kenya.
The region has a long history of coffee production and is famous for its large estates, which were originally built by British colonists in the early 20th century.
After decolonisation, the estates were sold to local Kenyans who have been managing them ever since. While estates such as this used to produce the majority of Kenyan coffee, the increased urban sprawl from Nairobi, as well as the increasing land value in the region has meant that estate coffee production has gradually diminished, while smallholder production from co-ops, like Mikari, has increased.
This coffee growing community has well established practices that ensure that the precious red cherries grown in the rich volcanic soils of the Aberdares Highlands are immaculately looked after.
From after being picked at their ripest then pulped, the beans are fermented for 12 – 48 hours (depending on climatic conditions) they are then washed and dried slowly over 2 – 3 weeks on raised African beds until the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%.
You've read the story, now try the coffee
Below you can find some more specific info for our Kenya Mikari!
We find flavours of lemon, chocolate and peach but with other brewing recipes and equipment you may find something different to us! You can find our favourite brew recipes here.
