After a multiyear hiatus, this is our second consecutive year offering a lot from Kenya, and this year we doubled the lot size as our customer feedback and demand was strong in 2023. We wanted our offering to be clean, sweet, floral, and really juicy, and Kamwangi AB delivers, with abundant jasmine, red grape, and peach notes in the cup.
Kamwangi coffee factory is located in the northeastern corner of Kirinyaga County, Nyangeni subregion, Ngariama community. It was established in 1983 and grows the SL28, SL34 varieties with small amounts of Batian and Ruiru 11. The coffee cherries are hand-sorted for unripes and overripes by the farmers before they go into processing. The pulp is removed and the coffee is fermented for 24-36 hours in fermentation tanks under close shade depending on climate. After fermentation, coffees are washed and graded by density in washing channels. The water used in this process comes from the Nyamindi river. The coffee is then taken to the drying tables where they will be sundried 12 to 20 days on African drying beds, again depending on climate.
The Ngariama area has a long chain of mountains that help provide a diversity of altitudes and terrain for coffee cultivation. While this could seem like an obstacle to access, in Ngariama the farms are only about a 30 minute trail walk (1-2 km) from the Kamwangi washing station. Only in the rainy season does access become complex as mud makes these unpaved trails challenging to navigate. The main economic pillar in Ngariama is coffee.
The predominant population of Ngariama community are the Kikuyu, the oldest native population in the area. Everyone in the area also speaks Kikuyu. The farms here are mostly very small (1-2 hectares) and adults work the farms while children attend school all day.
Net Weight: 12 oz.
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Washed & Dried on Raised Beds
SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, Batian
Various smallholder producers
