Kii Peaberry Kenya

JAMMY, TROPICAL, COMPLEX.

Producer: Multiple small holder producers
Location: Gichugu, Kirinyaga, Kenya 
Elevation: 1619 meters
Variety: Sl 28 & SL 34 
Process: Fully Washed, 8 hour fermentation, dried on raised beds

The Kirinyaga Kii Washing Station is near Mount Kenya, about two hours from Nairobi. The region's rivers, fed by glaciers from Mount Kenya, provide water for coffee processing and maintain favorable temperatures (13-25°C). Farms, typically 1-2 hectares, are close to washing stations but can be difficult to access during the rainy season. 

Established in 1968 on 8 acres in Kirinyaga District, Kai serves several local villages. Managed by a factory manager and employing 6 permanent staff and up to 25 casual workers during peak seasons, the factory handles weighing, grading, and processing coffee. Members are well versed in agronomy and utilize best practices, including weeding, pruning, spraying, and fertilizing. The factory promotes environmental conservation with wastewater soak pits and encourages tree planting.

Kirinyaga County is home to 600,000 residents and relies on coffee farming along with tea, macadamia, bananas, corn, and dairy farming. Wildlife like elephants and buffalos necessitate farm fencing, and logging and hunting are prohibited. The Kikuyu population, who speak Kikuyu, manage small farms while children attend school, although many young people migrate to cities for better opportunities, leaving older generations to manage the farms alone.