Kamuchege

A refined washed Kenyan from Kiambu, delivered by smallholders to Kamuchege Factory: elderberry and layered sweetness.

Kamuchege AA is produced at the Kamuchege Factory, one of 13 washing stations operated by the Komothai Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Kiambu County.

Established in 1987, the factory is located in Kiambururu, Lari, where smallholder farmers deliver their ripe cherries.

The cooperative supports its members through farmer training, access to agricultural inputs and pre-financing for school fees, farm inputs and other needs. The factory also manages its wastewater through soak pits and encourages farmers to plant trees on their land.

The cherries are pulped before being fermented and washed for 14–18 hours, depending on weather conditions.

They are then washed through channels for further density grading before being dried on raised beds for 7–18 days. Once dry, the parchment is transported to the dry mill for hulling and final grading.

Ripe cherries are washed and then pulped to remove the majority of skin and fruit from the bean before its fermented.

Fermentation is brief and helps to remove any remaining material from the pulping process as well as adding complexity to the coffee.

The coffee is then washed and sun-dried, mechanically dried, or a combination of the two until the desired moisture level is reached.