Gichuka AB Washed, Kenya | FILTER

With nearly 700,000 coffee producers, roughly 70% of which are smallholder producers, Kenya shines as a unique coffee-producing country in East Africa. Within the Kiambu County is the Gichuka Coffee Factory, belonging to the Kimaratia Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS). In Kenya, factories are essentially wet mills and collection points for coffee. 

The FCS was originally created by the now defunct Kiamwangi coffee group, a large cooperative in the area. Currently, the FCS manages three factories: Gichuka, Gachika, and Gitare. The Gichuka Factory was initiated in 1985, the youngest of the three. Producers deliver their cherries to the Factory that is closest to their homes.

Situated at roughly 1,800 meters above sea level, the region where the Factory is located is defined by its bright red soils, full of rich nutrients for coffee trees. The high altitude allows for ideal temperatures and rainfall for the slow maturation of coffee cherries. The FCS is managed by seven board members, two elected in each factory, and one that floats amongst all the factories. 

After the producers gather their ripe cherries, they will deliver them to the Factory. Once the cherries reach the mill, the coffee is pulped to remove the external fruit from the coffee bean. The coffee is then soaked in cement tanks overnight to break down the remaining mucilage. The following morning, the coffee is cleaned once more through channels of water and dispersed on raised beds to dry in the open sun until the ideal moisture content is reached.

The Factory has invested in a new pulper, a recirculation system and about 20 conditioning bins to ensure efficient and uniform processing is attained to produce high quality coffee. Additionally, the Factory has dug soaking pits to sustainably return wastewater to the soil without harming the environment.