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Kenya Kabumbu

Лоти:

Імпортер: CMG

Країна: Kenya

Регіон:  Kirinyaga, Central Kenya

Ферма: Kabumbu Estate

Різновид: Batian

Висота вирощування: 1,500 to 1,750 meters above sea level

Період збору врожаю: Central Kenya: May – July (early crop) | October – December (late crop)

Обробка: Fully washed

Про каву:

ABOUT THIS COFFEE

Located at the foot of Mt. Kenya, Kabumbu Estate has the ideal microclimate and nutrient-rich soil for producing nuanced, flavorful coffees.

Joseph Mugo Karaba inherited his farm, Kabumbu Estate, from his father, who planted the first coffee trees in the 1960s. Today, Joseph and his family manage the estate and a small wet mill where they independently process their coffee.

The estate is located at 1,500 to 1,750 meters above sea level. Their prime location at the foot of Mt. Kenya means they have red, nutrient-rich soil and a cool climate.  

CULTIVATION

 

Joseph recently replanted the entire farm with Batian, a newer hybrid that’s been bred for cup quality, disease resistance and high yields.

Joseph receives regular training from Sucafina in Good Agricultural Practices, including fertilizer application, pruning guidance and renovation advice, which helps him to keep his small farm in optimal condition. His years of working with Sucafina has enabled him to improve yields and quality, and he looks forward to his hard work paying off by creating new relationships with roasters.

 

HARVEST & POST-HARVEST

 

Kabumbu is categorized as a ‘small estate’ in Kenya. This sector has, until recently, been frequently overlooked.

Traditionally, many farmers of this size in the country did not own their own processing equipment. They have historically delivered cherry to a centralized cooperative-owned ‘Factory’ (as washing stations are called, locally), where their production is combined with that of others from their region. Joseph, however, has his own, small wet-mill where he is able to process his own coffee, ensuring full traceability back to his farm.

Cherry is selectively handpicked and then pulped. Coffee is then fermented for 16 to 24 hours in a small tank before being washed in clean water to remove any remaining mucilage. All wastewater from the washing process is cleaned to ensure environmental impact is limited.

Parchment is soaked for 24 hours and then transferred to raised beds where it sundries for 14 to 21 days. As it dries, parchment is turned regularly to ensure even drying. 

Even for farmers who may have their own processing setup, the dry-milling set-up within Kenya does not well serve small-to-medium size farmers. Dry mills have lot minimums, which are usually about 50 bags of parchment per lot. This is often unattainable for smaller farmers, necessitating that they merge their lots with others, losing traceability, which in turn which lowers their overall returns and removes the potential for name recognition and direct-trade relationship.

To cater for single producer lots that are very small, Kahawa Bora/Sucafina has a separate microlot milling line that was custom made to hull (remove the parchment from the green coffee beans) lots as small as one bag at a time. This line makes it possible for growers like Jason to maintain their own ‘brand’ when selling their coffee. We feel this is a push in the right direction for Kenyan growers to gain market access to quality-focused buyers overseas.

 

AA GRADE

 

Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AA beans are the largest size. AA grade coffees are those that are 17/18.5 screen size, meaning that they are larger than 7.2 millimeters.

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