Kenya – Kabngetuny

The Kabngetuny Farmers Co-operative Society is surrounded by the Nandi Hills and the Mau Forest, the largest indigenous forest in East Africa. This farm owns its own wet mill which means they have control over the whole productive chain.

This lot is processed according to the “washed” method: cherries are mechanically depulped to release the grains still covered in mucilage; then are placed in water tanks where the fermentation decomposes the mucilage and emphasizes the acidity and complexity of the coffee; finally beans are washed in special channels to remove any residual pulp and then left to dry in the same way as it’s usually done with the “natural” method. The result, thanks to the lesser influence of sugars, is a coffee with a pleasant citrusy acidity of blood orange and black currant, balanced by a sweet and spicy aftertaste of cinnamon.

Kabngetuny is one of the first cooperatives to incorporate gender mainstreaming within its operations. The initiative has seen women transferred full ownership of land and coffee trees and are completely in charge of their own production and harvest which is unique in Kenya. The opportunity has assisted in empowering women beside increased production and quality which have supported improved livelihood long term.