Kamunyaka NH

The Kamunyaka Factory is a notable coffee processing facility located in Kenya, specifically within the Mathira Division area. It’s part of the broader Kenyan coffee network and often linked to the cooperative structure that drives the country’s coffee industry.

Like many Kenyan coffee factories, Kamunyaka operates within a cooperative model, where local farmers bring their cherry to the factory for processing. This model can help ensure higher quality and traceability, as well as greater returns for the farmers. The factory is part of a cooperative society that manages the coffee from harvesting through to milling and export.

Kamunyaka Factory , are focusing on improving sustainability practices, including soil health, water conservation, and fair wages for the farmers. With the increasing global focus on sustainability in coffee production, these cooperative-based factories are often involved in programs that support their communities as well as environmental goals.

About Irani Farmers Cooperative Society
The Irani Farmers Cooperative Society is a prominent cooperative society in Kenya’s coffee industry. It plays a vital role in the collection, processing, and marketing of coffee from its member farmers. Based in the central region of Kenya, this cooperative is known for producing high-quality Arabica coffee, and it is an important part of the Kenyan coffee sector. The cooperative is based in the Murang’a County, located in the Central Highlands of Kenya. This region is one of the most well-known and productive coffee-growing areas in the country. The area is characterized by rich volcanic soils, a temperate climate, and high altitudes—ideal conditions for producing high-quality Arabica coffee.

About Nyeri Region
Nyeri County is part of Kenya’s former Central Province, which was dissolved in 2013. The area includes Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Kiambu and Nyandarua Counties, and is traditionally the homeland of people of Kikiyu ethnicity. The central highlands of Kenya are considered to be one of the wealthiest areas of the country, due to the incredibly fertile land, geographical proximity to the capital, Nairobi, and close integration with the country’s colonial administration before Kenya gained independence in 1962. This integration afforded the communities of Central Kenya with opportunities for education, business and political prowess, despite the various injustices of the colonial government. The Kikiyu people have a long and proud history of agriculture and the region is farmed intensively, with coffee, tea and dairy being the most important modern crops.

The coffees in this lot are grown on the foothills of the extinct volcano, Mt Kenya, in an area defined by its bright red, nutrient-rich, volcanic soil, high elevations and cool climate, all of which contribute to the outstanding quality of coffees produced here. Most farmers in Nyeri are smallholder cooperative members – with farm size averaging just half a hectare – and grow coffee as a cash crop alongside food crops like banana, maize, macadamia, avocados and vegetables. Tea and dairy are also important sources of income for the producers.

Many of the producers in the region are second-generation landholders, whose parents would have purchased and planted the land. Most coffee farms in Nyeri were planted in the 1950s, after agricultural reform allowed for small Kenyan farmers to produce cash crops on their family farms (instead of only on large, British owned estates). At that time, it was recommended to plant SL-28 and SL-34, which remain the predominant varieties found in the area. Both cultivars have Bourbon and Moka heritage and are named after the laboratory that promoted their wider distribution in Kenya during the early 20th Century: Scott Laboratories. This lot also contains a small percentage of the hybrid varieties Ruiru 11 and Batian, which were cultivated as more robust varieties, with better resistance to Coffee Berry Disease and Coffee Leaf Rust. Both varieties have been backcrossed with SL-28 and SL-34 to achieve a high cup quality.

Natural Processing at Kamunyaka Factory
While the washed method remains dominant in Kenyan coffee production, the Kamunyaka Factory has been experimenting with natural processing in recent years. This processing method involves drying the whole coffee cherry with the skin still intact, rather than removing the outer layers (skin, pulp, and mucilage) before drying. The coffee beans absorb flavors from the cherry during the drying process, which can lead to unique and often more complex flavor profiles.

In natural processing, coffee cherries are left to dry with the pulp still on, typically on raised beds or concrete patios. The cherries need to be regularly turned to avoid over-fermentation or mold. In Kamunyaka’s case, their coffee may undergo a controlled fermentation process (if the cherries sit too long before being dried), which can lead to even more pronounced flavors in the final cup.

Drying: The cherries are spread out to dry in the sun for several weeks until they reach a moisture content of about 10-12%. The drying process is critical; too fast, and you risk uneven drying; too slow, and you risk mold or undesirable fermentation.
Sorting: After drying, the cherries are hulled to remove the outer layers and reveal the coffee beans. At this point, there’s usually careful sorting to remove any defective beans, ensuring a high-quality end product.