Kamoini Wet Mill
Acreage Farmed: 232 Acres
Altitude: 1,824m above sea level
Harvest Season: October-January
Annual Rainfall Amount: 1,326 mm
Annual Temperature Amount: 13-26°C
Coffee Type: Arabica, mainly SL28, SL34 and some few Ruiru 11 and Batian varieties
Farming Method: Inorganic
Certification Type: Fairtrade
Average Annual Cherry Production: 5-10 KGs per tree
Soil Type: Red volcanic soils that are rich in phosphorus and are well drained
Art of Production: The coffee is wet processed, where the fully ripe cherries are pulped, fermented, washed and dried slowly over 2- 3 weeks where the moisture content is reduced to 10-12%. The coffee is then delivered to the dry mill.
Grower’s Cultural History/ Profile: Set in Kamoini village, this station was built in 1987 along River Ichamama whose source is Karima forest. The main harvesting season is one which runs from October to December. The mill is on latitude 00.55324° South and longitude 036.97646° East.
Grade (AA/AB/C): AA
Processing Method: Wet processing
Drying Process: Dry milling after the parchment has dried
Milling Location: Othaya Coffee Mill
Moisture Level: 10.5%
Founded in 1956 as a coffee marketing organization with around 250 farmers, the Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society now ranks as the largest organization of coffee producers in Kenya based on membership and number of wet mills (or “factories”). It maintains 19 factories and a dry mill in and around the town of Othaya in the world-famous Nyeri growing region, located about 90 miles north of the capital city of Nairobi and tucked in between Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Range.
Othaya Farmers Cooperative Society -
Organization of 19 small wet mills (known as “factories,”) in and around the town of Othaya in Nyeri county. The society was registered in 1956 with 250 farmers and has since grown to over 15,000 members. Their offices are located in the center of town, and the Gatuyaini factory is their production center, less than a kilometer up the hill from the main office. Many factors make Othaya extraordinary, chief among them strong social unity, a holistic approach to business management and a progressive view towards quality control throughout the supply chain. The society has a nursery and farm store to supply its members with inputs, equipment and seedlings. Farm management workshops are offered regularly, and factory managers are routinely trained on wet mill best practices. Othaya has sample roasting and cupping facilities at the Gatuyaini factory, and society staff cup samples of every lot delivered during the harvest season. Also at Gatuyaini factory is a complete dry milling installation, allowing the society to manage even the parchment hulling sorting and grading elements of their operation.
