Kamwangi is one of two coffee factories [washing stations] owned by the members of the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society.
The Kamwangi factory was built in 1983 & processes the coffee from 1500 co-op members. The average farm size is 1/2 an acre planted with around 300 coffee trees.
Coffee cherries are selectively hand-picked & taken to the coffee factory the same day. They are hand-sorted for any over or under-ripe cherries, de-pulped, fermented, washed & sun-dried on raised beds for 12-20 days. The beans are covered during the middle of the day to stop overheating & at night to stop moisture condensing on the beans.
Vive L'Afrique
region Kirinyaga
farm/farmer New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society
altitude 1100–1800m
crop 2024
cultivar SL28, Ruiru 11, Batian
process Washed, sun-dried
SL28 was developed by Scott Laboratories in 1931 from various coffees from Ethiopia, Sudan & Yemen. Ruiru 11 was developed at the Coffee Research Station in 1985 to be resistant to coffee leaf rust & coffee berry disease. Batian was also developed at the Coffee Research Station for disease resistance & released in 2010.
New Ngariama co-op member sorting coffee cherries.
Weighing coffee cherries at Kamwangi Coffee Factory
Washing coffee after fermentation at Kamwangi Coffee Factory.
Coffee drying on raised beds at Kamwangi Coffee factory.
African drying beds at Kainamui Coffee factory.
Sorting dried coffee at Kamwangi Coffee Factory.
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