KENYA Muthonjo Estate

BACKGROUND Muthonjo was established in 1989 and it is owned by Grace Muthoni . It is one of multiple small estates growing and processing its own coffee in the Central Province of Kenya. The varieties grown at Muthunjo is SL and Ruiru, with a small portion of Batian. 25% of the number of trees are Ruiru from seedlings from Coffee Research Foundation, or grafted on site.

LOCATION It is located at Nyangeni location, Ngariama sub-location, Kirinyaga County. It is around 5 kilometers outside the town of Kiamutugu, the estate benefits from the fertile soils found in the slopes of Mount Kenya. The estate plants maize, and bananas for sustenance and gravellea and macadamia as shade trees for their coffee plants. 95% of their coffee is produced during second semester harvest and 5% during first semester (otherwise known as the fly crop).

SUSTAINABILITY The estate is receiving assistance from our field partner Coffee Management Services (CMS). The long term goal is to increase coffee production through farmer training, ready access to inputs, Good Agricultural Practice seminars, and providing the most current printed materials on sustainable farming. By paying the producers some of the highest returns for their coffee our objective can be achieved. We strongly believe in establishing a transparent, trust based relationship with smallholder farmers, helping to support sustained industry growth throughout the country, and continuing to elevate the standards of quality coffee produced in Kenya. is done twice in a year and the procedures followed are based on sustainability.

PROCESSING During harvesting, only the red ripe cherries are picked and transported to the factory for pulping .This has to be done on the same day. Primary processing involves pulping out the cherry skins using the Mackinnon Pulper plant under the wet processing protocol using very clean water. Great care is taken to sustain bean quality, and secure the highly rated Bluish-grey green raw bean colour through proper fermentation and slow drying of the pulped parchment. Rewetting of dry coffee and over fermentation is avoided at all costs. Drying is conducted in two phases: the wet to black stage rapid step and the black to white stage conducted slowly and well monitored.