The Munani factory is operated by the Mikumbune Farmers Cooperative Society, which operates four factories in the Meru county on the eastern slopes of Mt. Kenya. Mikumbune F.C.S. has a total of 1,300 smallholder members but only represents about 250 hectares of coffee land: That is less than 0.20 hectare per farmer on average. Farmers in this county typically grow a range of typical Kenyan varieties including SL-28, SL-34, Batian, and K7.
Coffees in Kenya are typically traceable to the factory level, where smallholder farmers deliver cherry for sale and processing. Producers deliver their cherry and receive payment based on weight at the market level for the day. After the coffee is received by the F.C.S., it is sorted and processed into lots that are built by quantity, so it is nearly impossible to know which farmers' coffees end up in which particular lot.Because of the very small average farm size, there is typically not a way to keep more-detailed records at the factory level, without adding miles of paperwork and delay.This is one of the reasons it is difficult to find highly traceable coffees from Kenya.
For more information about coffee production in Kenya, visit ourKenya page.
