Description
Suitable for all brew methods
Flavour Profile: Blackcurrant, Plum, Grapefruit
Producer: 685 Members of the Thaita Coffee Factory
Location: Kirinyaga County, Kenya
Average Farm Elevation: 1750 masl
Varieties: Ruiru 11 SL-28, Batian
Process: Fully Washed
Sourcing: Condesa Co. Lab
LOCATION
Thaita is one of the 11 coffee processing factories of the Inoi Farmers’ Cooperative Society in the kirinyaga County which was established at 1960s. Thaita factory lies near the Inoi sub-location, Gitumbi location near Kerugoya town. This region boasts an ideal climate for coffee production. The soil is highly fertile and rich in phosphates, which contributes greatly to achieving that typical Kenyan flavour profile.
SOILS AND CLIMATE
Thaita Coffee Factory is dressed with red-volcanic soil that infuses it with all the mineral and organic goodness necessary for optimum production. Producers in the region cultivate coffee around 1750 meters above sea level. It experiences an annual rainfall of 1520mm and temperatures of 13-26°C.
PROCESSING
Coffee producers deliver their cherries to Thaita factory for wet-processing after the day’s harvest. This lot was collected in December. The station’s permanent staff oversees the quality of the cherry at intake. Through floatation and visual sorting, they obtain a more uniform quality. Lower quality cherries are processed separately.
The cherries are gathered in a hopper which feeds directly into a disc pulper. In the early evening, they process the cherries and start the anaerobic fermentation. The coffee ferments under water for 24 to 36 hours, depending on the weather conditions. This step breaks down the mucilage that sticks to the parchment.
Next, the washing station staff pushes the coffee through the washing channel to clean the parchment. This also separates the coffee on quality, based on density. The heaviest parchment is the best quality. The lightest beans will float to the end, which makes it easy to remove.
The highest quality coffee gets soaked for an additional 24 hours to fully clean the parchment. This laborious process finishes with the drying of the parchment. The staff in the drying field carries the wet parchment to the drying tables. Here, they spread out the coffee in thin layers where it takes 14 to 20 days to dry, depending on the weather.
PRE-FINANCING FARMERS
From funds set aside from the previous year’s harvest, members of the cooperative can access
pre-financing for school fees, access to farm inputs and funds for emergency needs.
The factory is receiving assistance from a field partner- Coffee Management Services (CMS). The long term goal is to increase coffee production through farmer training, ready access to inputs, Good Agricultural Practice seminars, and providing the most current printed materials on sustainable farming. By paying the producers some of the highest returns for their coffee this objective becomes more possible.
MANAGEMENT
Thaita Coffee factory is run by a factory manager who oversees all activities within the factory. Together with other staff members they carry out duties such as weighing coffee, selection and grading of coffee, paying farmers and addressing farmers’ complaints.
ECOLOGY
In addition to coffee, common crops grown are banana and maize. Grevillea or macadamia trees are also planted to provide shade to the growing coffee trees.
WELFARE
Currently the factory offers farm inputs on credit and cash advances to farmers as incentives.
About The Roaster
Floozy Coffee Roasting:
Floozy’s goal is to promote and advance the women in coffee, showcase the talents of the ladies in the industry, and train up future generations of badass coffee chicks.
Floozy is based in Newcastle, Australia and they have a rad cafe called ‘Let’s be Besties’ at 398 King St.
