1000g - Kenya, Ndaroini AA - Light roast

Discover the rich, sweet and elegant taste of Kenya!

Ndaroni Factory was built in 1984 by a group of producers in Karatina who were tired of travelling long distances to deliver their coffee berries. For this reason, they named the factory “Ndaroini”, which means “resting place” in Swahili, one of Kenya’s national languages.

Ndaroini is one of three stations owned by the Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society. The cooperative is based in the area around the town of Karatina, which is located on the border of Nyeri and Kirinyaga regions, a major coffee hub around Mount Kenya. There are several dry mills in the area, and coffee is often transported along this route back to Nairobi, or directly to the port of Mombasa. They invest heavily in the infrastructure and training of the producing families.

Between October and December, they take the coffee berries from their farms, which average 0.5 to 2 hectares in size, to the central washing station – Ndaroini.

This lot is grown at the foot of the extinct volcano Mt Kenya in an area defined by its bright red, nutrient-rich, volcanic soil and high altitudes with a cool climate, all of which contribute to the exceptional quality of the coffee produced here. Most farmers also grow food crops such as bananas, maize, macadamia, avocados and vegetables. Tea and dairy products are also important sources of income for producers.

Kenya: An Overview

Kenya is best known for producing high-quality fully washed coffee and is considered by many to be one of the world's leading producers of quality coffee. There are over 700,000 coffee farmers, accounting for approximately 55% of total production. The rest is produced mainly by large farms called "Estates".

Almost all coffee in Kenya is grown by small farmers, each with 1-2 hectares of land. Many of these farmers grow a variety of crops and sometimes have as few as 100 coffee trees. These farmers are organized into cooperatives that act as umbrella organizations for the mills (wet mills), where smallholders deliver their coffee cherries for processing.

Since Kenya uses a traditional auction system, high quality is rewarded with higher prices. The best mills attract more farmers by producing coffee that can be sold at the highest prices. This extra income is then returned to the farmers as a second payment. After marketing and processing costs are deducted, this amount can sometimes amount to 90% of the sales price.

Facts about the coffee:

Score: 87/100

Grows: 1700 - 1800 m.a.s.l.

Species: SL-34, SL-28

Process: Washed

Taste: Blackcurrant, apricot, raspberry

We ship coffee that has rested for up to two weeks after roasting when available, and roast to order when needed. We ship coffee within one week of ordering.