Kenya, Muburi Washing Station

In Kenya, the coffee system empowers farmers to own their coffee from cultivation to export. Smallholders come together in cooperatives to prepare and export their coffee. These cooperatives operate washing stations, known as factories. The Rama Coffee Farmers Society, representing 1,200 smallholder members, manages two factories in Kirinyaga. The Muburi washing station, established in 1964 shortly after Kenya gained independence, covers 7 acres and serves the villages of Gituga, Kiangoro, Muburi, and Kagukuma.

Muburi stands out for its specialty coffee, primarily the SL-28 cultivar, renowned for its exceptional quality, constituting over 99% of the coffee produced there, with the remaining 1% being Ruiru 11.

Despite modernization in other areas, Muburi maintains traditional Kenyan methods. Cherries are meticulously hand-picked, floated, and then pulped using the classic Kenyan 3-channel system. They undergo overnight soaking, followed by a second washing, skin drying, and finally, 7-15 days on raised beds and 3-7 weeks in a conditioning bin. This meticulous process, combined with the high-altitude growth of SL-28, brings out the distinctive character that has made Kenyan coffee renowned worldwide.