Kiama Farmers’ Cooperative Society brings together over 3,000 smallholder farmers across four factories near Karatina: Kiamaina, Ichuga, Kiangundo, and Gachuiro. The region sits in Nyeri County, on land covered in red volcanic soil, rich in the minerals and organic matter needed for high-quality beans. A cool, temperate climate and two flowering periods a year support strong sugar development in the cherries — the source of the natural sweetness found in the classic Kenyan varieties grown here.
After hand-picking, cherries are delivered to the washing station, where they’re pulped and undergo dry fermentation lasting 16 to 36 hours. The beans then move to washing channels, where floaters are separated out and the denser, ripe beans are cleaned of mucilage. Drying happens in two stages: first in a thin layer for around 6 hours to quickly remove half the moisture, then in a thicker layer for another 1–3 weeks, until the beans reach roughly 11% moisture and are ready for transport to the dry mill.
Kiama comes to us through Cofinet — our partners since the very beginning of Teso, when we started with Colombian coffees. Today their portfolio also includes Kenya, and we simply trust their selection.