BACKGROUND

Gathaithi Farmers’ Cooperative Society was registered under the cooperative society act of 2000. It was formerly part of the Giant Tetu Coffee Farmers Society. This cooperative has only one factory – Gathaithi Coffee Factory. Currently, it has 1,656 active members.

LOCATION

Gathaithi Farmer’s Cooperative Society is located at Gaki location, Gathaithi sub-location, Tetu sub-county in Nyeri County. At 160 km north of Nairobi, you will find the factory sandwiched between the elegant Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare ranges, putting it at a vantage point of better production.

SOILS & CLIMATE

Gathaithi Coffee Factory is dressed with red-volcanic soil that infuses it with all the mineral and organic goodness necessary for optimum production. It experiences an annual rainfall of 1,100mm at 1,720m above sea level. In addition it enjoys cool temperatures of 16-26°C.

CROPPING SEASONS

Gathaithi farms have two cropping seasons: Late crop starting at the end of September to mid- January contributing 70%, and early crop starting from April to July and contributing 30% of the total annual production. This factory has SL 28 and SL 34 variety of 95%, Ruiru 11% and Batian of 1%.

ANNUAL PRODUCTION

Gathaithi is currently producing 60 tonnes of clean coffee per year with a potential of producing 120 tonnes annually.

PROCESSING

Cherry Harvesting

Harvesting is carried out by careful hand selection when the coffee cherries are perfectly ripe and is delivered to the Gathaithi wet mill the very same day.

Cherry sorting is carried out to ensure only the very best cherries are used and inferior quality cherries removed.

Fermentation

After pulping, the coffee is fermented overnight to break down the sugars, before traveling through channels to the soaking tank where the coffee is carefully cleaned, soaked and spread out on the raised drying tables.

Drying process

Time on the drying tables depends on climate, ambient temperature and total production volume undergoing processing. Drying can take from 7 to 15 days in total. Continuous sorting and hand turning of the parchment takes place throughout the drying process.