KENYA MURANG'A GONDO AB

Roaster's Notes

The Gondo Coffee Factory, established in 1998 by the New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society, currently processes coffee from over 700 producers. The small farms, each around 1-2 hectares, are located only 20 minutes from the washing station, and only 2.5 hours by paved road to the city of Nairobi. Migration is creating a questionable future for coffee. Schools are not free here and education is limited. Young people move to the city in order to find work and opportunities for their families, often resulting in farms being abandoned. The fertile soil and microclimate provided by the Aberdare range to the West, make the region excellent for agriculture. The county’s main crops are coffee and tea, though maize, beans, and bananas and wild crops, like neem, are also produced. There are two harvest seasons in the Central Province - a main crop and a smaller fly crop. Each harvest corresponds to a rainy season. The primary rains come between April and June and shorter rains in October and November provide for the development of the fly crop. After harvest, the cherry is hand sorted by the farmers, then it goes to the washing station at Gondo. Because of the close proximity, the producers transport their coffee the same day as harvest, often by motorcycle. Sometimes the washing station will hire a truck to pick up the cherries. After pulping, the cherries are fermented in tanks for 16-18 hours and washed using fresh, clean water from the nearby Kananahu stream. The beans are sun dried for 13-14 days. Ruby is always excited to welcome fresh Kenyan coffee back to the menu each summer. This coffee from Gondo is a great example of classic Kenyan quality with a mix of SL and other modern varieties. Notes of bright tangerine, jammy berry, and tamarind and a unique stonefruit character make this lot stand out.