Notes: Grape, pear and caramel
Origin: Embu
Producer: Gakundu farmers coop society
Altitude: 1800 masl
Variety: Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Process: Washed
Information:
Grown at 1800 metres on the volcanic slopes of Mount Kenya, this peaberry microlot comes from the Gakui Factory in Embu county, a region fed by 6 rivers and shaped almost entirely by smallholder agriculture: Gakui operates under the name Gakunudu farmers’ cooperative society, where cherry from hundrers of tiny plots converges forsorting, processing, and quality selection.
Gakui takes its environmental responsibilities seriously using seepage tanks to treat all processing water before it reaches the local stream. They also directly invest in its member by offering pre-financing for school fees, emergency funds and farms input on credit ensuring the returns back to the people growing coffee.
The washed process here follows Kenya´s distinctive double fermentation method: cherries are depulped, then fermented across 24 to 48 hours total before entering extended soaking tanks for up to 72 hours. It’s this final underwater rest that´s thought to drive the signature malic brightness and structural depth Kenyan coffees are knows for. Beans then dry in staged layers on raised bed over 5 to 10 days.
