Kenya, Kioru, Espresso

Kenya

REGION: Muranga

FARM: Several Smallholder farms

VARIETAL: SL28 SL34 Ruiru11 Batian

PROCESSING: Natural

ALTITUDE: 1800 masl

PRODUCER: Kioru Farmers’ Cooperative

CROP YEAR: 2025

We taste brown sugar, raisins and black plums

Kioru Coffee Factory, established in 1952, serves several villages in Murang’a County, Kenya, and is uniquely located within a traditional tea-growing zone. It operates under the Kiru Farmers’ Cooperative, which supports around 3,500 farmers across four processing stations. The region experiences two harvest seasons each year, from March–May and October–December.

The factory benefits from moderate bimodal rainfall, temperatures of 12–24°C, and fertile red volcanic soils. Farmers mainly grow SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian coffee varieties, alongside other crops such as tea, maize, beans, and macadamia. Coffee is processed using the fully washed method, involving careful sorting, fermentation, washing, grading, and drying on raised beds.

Kioru promotes sustainable practices by using wastewater soak pits and encouraging tree planting, though it does not yet have formal wastewater treatment. Managed by a small permanent team with seasonal casual workers, the factory emphasizes quality processing, environmental awareness, and cooperative-based production.