The Gikirima Factory is located on the slopes of Mount Kenya, an area with an optimal balance of conditions for growing coffee. This area experiences two season of rainfall, resulting in two seasons of harvest. The main crop is harvested October through December and the fly crop harvested April through June. 80% of all coffee is picked during main crop and 20% during fly crop. Smallholder farmers in the surrounding areas pick only ripe cherries and deliver them to Gikirima where they undergo a traditional washed process. Cherries are de-pulped, and fermented in a soaking tank overnight where the sugars are naturally broken down. The coffee is then washed and placed on raised drying beds where it remains for an average period of 7-15 days, weather depending. Frequent turning and sorting of the coffee occurs while it is drying. Gikirima has a long term goal of increasing coffee production and establishing transparent, trust-based relationships with smallholder farmers through farmer training, agricultural practice seminars, and providing the most current printed references on sustainable farming.
For more information on Kenyan coffee, visit our Kenya origin page.
