Kenya Kiamutuira

Kenya Kiamutuira coffee

Country: Kenya
Region: Kirinyaga
Washing station: Kiamutuira
Cooperative: Mutira Cooperative Society
Producers: approx. 600 smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1650 – 1700 m
Varieties: SL28, SL34 & Batian
Processing: Fully washed
Harvest: October – December
Importer: Trabocca

Flavor, aroma & brewing recommendations

In the cup, you’ll find a sweet, spicy aroma with blackcurrant and floral notes. The flavor is juicy and fruity, with rosehip and dark fruit up front and a full, sweet body. A subtle hint of chocolate lingers in the finish. This coffee is at its best as a filter coffee, bringing out its bright fruit notes and juicy mouthfeel.

Background

This fully washed Kenyan coffee comes from the Kiamutuira washing station in Kirinyaga, on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya. The coffee is grown by around 600 smallholder farmers from the Mutira Cooperative Society and consists of the SL28, SL34, and Batian varieties — classic Kenyan cultivars known for their bright, fruity flavor profiles.

The Kiamutuira washing station was established in 1996 to provide local coffee farmers in Kirinyaga with a reliable processing facility. The station is one of seven factories within the Mutira Farmers’ Cooperative Society, a cooperative founded in 1951 that now has more than 7,000 members across the region. The cooperative’s headquarters are located at the nearby Kagumo factory.

The farms around Kiamutuira are located at an altitude of 1650 to 1700 meters, directly bordering the Mount Kenya forest. The landscape consists of rolling hills with red, volcanic loam soil — exceptionally fertile and rich in nutrients. The climate is temperate, with temperatures between 15 and 25°C and annual rainfall of around 1500 mm. These are ideal conditions for the slow ripening of coffee cherries, which contributes to the complexity in the cup.

Macadamia trees grow among the coffee plants, providing shade and improving soil health. In addition to coffee, farmers also grow tea and food crops — promoting agricultural diversity and providing a stable income alongside the coffee harvest.

The community

The approximately 600 farmers around Kiamutuira cultivate an average of just 0.1 hectares — small plots, often right next to their homes. The membership includes notably more women than men, reflecting the central role of women in the local Kikuyu farming community. The harvest runs from October to December. During this period, farmers bring their ripest coffee cherries to the washing station each week, where the cherries are pulped, fermented in water, and dried on raised drying beds.

The Mutira Cooperative actively invests in its farmers’ future. Members receive training in sustainable farming practices through Coffee Management Services (CMS), and the cooperative has obtained certifications from organizations including Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade. Since 2024, the cooperative has participated in the Climate Smart Coffee program, which supports farmers with climate insurance and farming advice based on weather data — a response to the growing impact of drought and unpredictable rainfall in the region.

More information about our coffee and the Kiamutuira washing station can be found on the website of our importer, Trabocca:
https://www.trabocca.com/our-coffees/kenya/kirinyaga/kiamutuira/