KENYA Kiri Kirinyaga AB FIL

The Story Behind the Bean

Kiri Factory is located in Kirinyaga, on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya, and is managed by the Ngiriambu Farmers Cooperative Society. More than 3,500 members deliver their cherries there. They are all small-scale producers: the average coffee garden is less than one hectare. What one farmer picks in a day is combined with that of hundreds of others into a single lot, and that scale is precisely what makes selection at intake so critical.

Smallholders & Kirinyaga

SL28 and SL34 are cultivars released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s and 1940s. They have deep roots, drawing water from layers other plants cannot reach, and therefore perform well even without irrigation. In Kirinyaga, at over 1,500 meters, the combination of altitude, volcanic soil, and slow ripening produces the dense, complex beans for which Kenya is renowned.

Processing & Quality

Only ripe cherries are hand-picked and delivered the same day. At intake, the cherry clerk visually inspects each delivery, and the cherries are passed through a water bath so that only dense, ripe fruit moves on. This is followed by pulping and fermentation for 24 to 36 hours, a thorough wash, and a 24-hour soak in clean water. The beans then dry for about twenty days on raised beds, where they are raked regularly and covered during the hottest hours and at night. Slow, even drying is the whole art here.

In the cup, this delivers a classic Kenya AB: pronounced red fruit, candied fruit, and dried fig, supported by a juicy, bright acidity and a long, sweet finish. This coffee came to us through green bean trader Sucafina.