Igutha AA
Our seasonal coffees each come with their own story, which is part of what makes them so special. Here we take a closer look at the producers of this coffee.
THE COOPERATIVE
Rugi FCS was formed in the wake of a split of another cooperative. Learning from past experiences, services to their membership is one of their top priorities. Their goal is to increase coffee production through farmer training, Good Agricultural Practice seminars, and sustainable farming practices. Smallholder members have access to advances for farm inputs along with training in crop husbandry and land management. Through the financing the cooperative receives, farmers are given monetary assistance for school and farm improvements. Factory managers are trained annually to be at the forefront of sustainable practices and quality control for their increasing production.
THE FACTS
Varietals: SL 34, Ruiru 11, SL 28, Batian
Processing: Fully washed
Altitude: 1,600 metres
HARVESTING & PROCESSING
All coffee cherries are handpicked and are delivered to the mill the same day, where they undergo meticulous sorting.
After being weighed and logged, the weight of the delivery and the farmer’s identification are recorded in the Cherry Clerk’s register and the cherries are introduced into the hopper to be pulped. Pulping will only begin when a sufficient quantity of cherries has been received.
After pulping the cherries are delivered to one of the factory’s fermentation tanks, where it will ferment for between 12 to 48 hours depending on the ambient temperature at the time. After this, the coffee is fully washed to remove all traces of mucilage, during which time it will be graded. The coffee will then either be delivered to dry on the factory’s raised drying beds or will be soaked under circulating water for up to 24 hours, depending on if there is room on the factory’s beds (during the peak of the season, there is often a backlog). The coffee will dry here slowly over the course of 2 to 3 weeks, during which time it will be turned regularly and covered during the hottest part of the day.
SOURCING COFFEE
Our Coffee Broker
For over ten years we have worked closely with Mercanta. They pay a fair price for coffee, empowering the growers they work with. Such is our faith in their commitment to supporting farmers that we now purchase 100% of our coffee through Mercanta.
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