Kenya Gitura AA

Embark on a flavor journey with our Kenya Gitura AA, experience bursts of golden honey sweetness and the crisp, tart brightness of green apple, unfolding into a layered plum complexity. Juicy blackberry, green grape, and ripe plum harmonize for a vibrant cup that lingers with depth. The clean, tea-like aroma invites you in, while the medium-light body carries a mouthfeel that is both bright and juicy. Each sip finishes crisp and refreshing, leaving you ready for the next.

A Roastmaster’s Obsession
Kenyan isn’t just any coffee, they're also Roastmaster Mike Perry’s all-time favorite! Our Kenyan coffees are so good, he brings home 3 lbs every week. Mike is constantly in pursuit of great Kenyan coffees - if you’re looking for a next-level cup of joe, Kenya is the single origin that Mike brews for himself, again and again.

The Gitura Coffee Factory, nestled in Murang’a County at an elevation of 1,750 meters, is proudly affiliated with the Iyego Farmers Co-operative Society and has been a cornerstone of the community since its establishment in 1980. Gitura is the largest of ten factories owned by the Iyego Coffee Farmers Co-operative, and like many factories in Kenya, it is supplied by numerous smallholder farmers who carefully cultivate and harvest their cherries. Spread across six acres, the washing station serves the villages of Gaite, Miakini, Giti, and Mahuga, with about 700 dedicated members contributing fruit each season.

During harvest, the Ruiru 11, SL28, and SL34 varieties are meticulously de-pulped and fermented overnight before being transferred to raised drying tables, where the parchment is turned often and sorted with care. Quality control is managed through rigorous sorting and processing, ensuring that only the best beans make it to the final stages. This fully washed process, combined with slow drying in the sun, highlights the coffee’s bright, complex character and sparkling finish.

Soil and Climate
The factory lies about 1750m. The soil is volcanic red. The area experiences high
bimodal rainfall of about 1000mm p.a. with temperatures ranging between 13-26 degrees
Celsius. The long rains fall between March-May while the short rains come between
October and December.

Production
The area experiences a biennial production cycle with the early harvest being from March-May and the late second season being from October-December. The main varieties of coffee grown are Arabica and Ruiru 11, where Arabica accounts to 97% of the production while 3% is Ruiru 11.

Sustainable Farming
In line with the rising awareness on the need to conserve the environment the factory has initiated a couple of projects among these are the waste water soak pits, of which the factory has 4. Here the water is allowed to soak in back to the soil. Currently the factory does not engage in waste water treatment.

Agronomy
The affiliate members of the factory carry out all agronomic activities associated with coffee production i.e. they source coffee from the Coffee Research Station and plant it according to the stipulated guidelines.
Fieldwork carried out involves weeding, pruning, spraying, and application of fertilizer, mulching and technical advice. Technical advice is offered through farmer training programs and field visits/days offered by ministry of agriculture. Compliance to the agreed guidelines is checked and supervised by the field committee which goes round the farms. They usually check that coffee is not inter-grown with other crops such as maize, and Bananas, though they do allow intercropping with Macadamia. They also encourage farmers who have abandoned their coffee bushes to come more so due to high prices.

Processing
After harvesting all the coffee is delivered to the factory and undergoes the wet processing method. Water is pumped using a Diesel engine from Kiboru Stream to the reservoir tanks for pulping and recirculation. After pulping the coffee is stored over night, washed, soaked and spread on the dryingbtables. The parchment is then frequently turned on the drying tables, sorted and stored awaiting delivery to the millers who are also the marketing agent-KPCU. To ensure that the processing is carried out efficiently the factory has invested in a pulper, a recirculation system and 10 conditioning bins.

Management
Gitura Coffee factory is run by the factory manager with 4 permanent members of staff and Casuals. The number of Casual staff varies from year to year depending on crop harvest. During the peak season the factory employs about 8 casuals while on off-peak at most 3 Casuals are retained. The Permanent staff duties include weighing coffee, selection and grading of coffee, paying farmers and addressing farmers’ complaints.

Coffee is grown through the highland regions of Kenya, including Kisii, Nyanza, and Bungoma in the west; Nakuru and Kericho in the Great Rift Valley; Machakos, Embu, and Meru to the east of Mt. Kenya; and the Taita hills near the coast. The largest and oldest coffee growing areas are the central highlands, particularly Nyeri, sandwiched between the foothills of Mt Kenya to the east and the Aberdare mountain range to the west. Most coffee in Kenya is grown between 4,500 and 6,500 feet. Nearly all of Kenya’s 700,000 coffee producers are small land holders belonging to cooperatives. Most common varieties in Kenya are Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34, and K7. SL34 and K7 were developed from heirloom bourbon known as “French Mission,” which was the primary variety grown prior to the 1930’s that can still be found today, as can Blue Mountain on some farms. Kenyan coffees are graded by screen size and while there are several grades, specialty coffee is AA, being the largest and highest quality grade, AB, or PB (peaberry), used in combination with quality grade FAQ or FAQ Plus (Fair Average Quality).

It seems likely that coffee grew wild within the region that would become Kenya, buried deep inside impenetrable forests, or perhaps hiding in plain site; but it wasn’t until 1895 that missionaries both protestant and catholic attempted to grow coffee for commercial purposes. The 100 seeds from Reunion Island that would serve as progenitors to the Kenyan coffee industry arrived on a train, carried by priests belonging to an order known as “Holy Ghost Fathers.” On August 12th, 1899, they arrived at the spot that would quickly become the country’s capital city. One of the early protestant medical missionaries was Dr. Henry Scott. After his death in 1911, a new hospital complex was named after Dr. Scott and when the department of agriculture took over the complex in 1923 they kept the name: Scott Agricultural Laboratories, or “Scott Labs.” This is the origin of the “SL” in SL28 and other coffee varieties selected at the lab.