Kenya - Ruera Estate | Natural - Archived

9Ruera estate is a coffee planta on located in Kiambu County, Juja Sub County. It is 
approximately 15 km from Ruiru town along Kiganjo road.

Soils are red volcanic, with the landscape sloping gradually amidst low-lying hills.  
The farm lies 1577m above sea level. The area has two rainy seasons march to May 
and October to December. Irrigation of coffee is carried out during the alternate dry 
seasons. Picking is done manually by workers and delivered to the wet mill for processing. 
After carefully sorting, the cherries are pulped using the pinhalence and Mackinnon 
Pulper plants. Great care is taken to sustain bean quality. Rewetting of dry coffee and 
over fermentation is avoided at all costs. Drying is done with the aim of reducing moisture content of the bean for safe storage and better quality. Well dried beans are maintained at 10-11% moisture content. Drying is done on outdoor drying beds that utilize natural heat.

 
The farm offers employment to about 300 workers each day, 30% of who live on the 
farm’s labor lines. The residence employees are provided with a crèche for preschool children and a primary school is within the farm for other children. A dispensary is provided within the farm. The result is a secure friendly and conducive relationship between the employer, employees and neighborhood. The farm is managed by Coffee Management Services Ltd. An Agronomist visits the farm regularly to oversee and advice the manager.  In Ruera Estate the management strives to produce high quality coffee while ensuring sustainability. In line with this, the estate has conserved the environment through reforestation, energy conservation, proper waste disposal and soil erosion conservation.