Giakanja Farmers Co-op Society is bordered by the Abadare ranges on the west and Mount Kenya on the northeastern side. The society if in the Upper Medium (UM 2) cone. Red volcanic soils favor coffee farming as the major cash crop in this area.
Giakanja Farmers Co-op Society is managed by nine committe members each representing a different sone. The quality team is comprised of nine board members, two farmer representatives, one internal auditor and one quality manager. The co-op has 23 promoted farmers who train farm level producers. Giakanja has 18 permanent staff members.
In 2006 GFCS partnered with SMS ltd. and Hivos in a coffee quality improvement project. The project has been training farmers on good agricultural practices leading to improved yields and quality.
Farmers in Giakanja slectively hand pick red ripe cherry and deliver for wet milling the same day. The parchment is then fermented, washed, and sun dried. Dry parchment is milled and bagged at Central Kenya Mills.
Production (kg of cherry):
2006/2007: 557,668 kgs
2007/2008: 459,648 kgs
2008/2009: 724,918 kgs
Average Rainfall: 1200–1600mm per year
Temperature Range: 18-25° Celsius
Soils: Deep red volcanic soils.
Average Farm Size: 0.6 acres,about 300 trees per farm
