Kenya Kanjathi AA | fully washed

Kanjathi Factory was established in the 1960s and is one of five washing stations that are operated by the Kangiri Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS), with 1,332 of the 1,338 registered farmers are active members. It is located in Kigumo Sub County in Murang’a County, on the slopes of the Aberdare Ranges.

Coffee cherries are carefully handpicked at peak ripeness by smallholder farmers and delivered to the factory for processing. After being handsorted to remove underripe and/or damaged fruit, cherry iw then pulped using a disk pulper to remove the outer skin. Parchment is then fermented in concrete tanks for 12 to 24 hours, depending on temperature and climate conditions, to break down the mucilage. After fermentation, parchment is washed through grading channels using fresh water before being transferred to raised beds for drying. The drying process lasts 7 to 14 days, with workers frequently turning the parchment and covering it during the hottest part of the day to ensure even drying and prevent defects.