<p>This AB lot from Mukurweini farmers group reaches you through our Farm-to-roaster sourcing model. This model focuses on shortening the coffee value chain for smallholder coffee producers in Kenya, and as a result, empowering the producers. In this model, independent producers enter an agreement with our in-country partners, who provide them with technical, logistical, financial and commercial support day-by-day. In return, the producers deliver the dried coffee to the Kahawa Bora dry mill for milling, QC and export preparation. The coffee is then sold to us with transparent farm-return pricing, after reaching price agreements with the producers</p> <p>The “Mukurweini Farmers” group consists of 20 smallholder farmers in the area of Mukurweini in Nyeri County. They produce and process their coffee independently from the traditional cooperative system. In order to be successful, our in-country Sister Company provides them with agronomy support in the first stage. This includes good agricultural practices on the farm and a close follow-up during the post-harvest processes. Each estate is responsible for the pulping, fermentation and drying of their coffee. In the next stage, they deliver the dried beans in parchment to the Kahawa Bora Millers, our trusted new dry mill in Kenya. Part of the arrangement with the producers is that they deliver a certain volume to the mill, and that they pay the agreed service fee for the milling and export.</p> <h2>Cultivation</h2> <p>The small and medium estate sector in Kenya has, until now, been frequently overlooked. Especially when it comes to dry milling, small estate owners have found themselves unable to mill their parchment and maintain traceability, which lowers their overall returns and removes potential for name recognition and direct-trade relationship. They've also not received the agronomic support that they often need. <br />Our sister company, Kahawa Bora/Sucafina Kenya have helped change all this. Small to medium estate owners, such as the Mukurweini group, receive regular visits, access to agricultural inputs and advice regarding a wide range of practices - from pruning, to fertilization to erosion control. With this support, they improve agricultural practices and coffee quality.</p> <h2>Harvest &amp; Post-Harvest</h2> <p>Just like the other coffees in our Farm-to-roaster selection, each small estate manages its own harvest and processing. In the case of these producer groups, the processing was done on a smaller scale than at the traditional larger factories, on equipment they have in their own yards.<br />The producers of the Mukurweini group following the traditional Kenyan coffee processing method. After harvest, cherries are sorted on maturity through flotation and visual selection. Next, the coffee will be pulped and left to ferment for 24 hours on average. The coffee is then washed to remove any remaining mucilage. Depending on weather conditions, the parchment takes around 14 days to dry. The farms installed their own raised tables for this project, under the guidance of the team on the ground. The producers get support during all steps of the production process from the team of field officers.<br />Farmers deliver their beans as dry parchment to the Kahawa Bora Millers dry mill in Thika, Kenya. Here, they will do a first quality analysis to determine the bean as well as the cup quality. The dry mill process cleans and sorts the parchment, hulls the beans and finally separates the lots into the different screen sizes (AA, AB, PB).</p> <h2>AB Grade</h2> <p>Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AB beans are those that are between screen size 15 and 18 meaning that beans are between 6 and 7 millimeters in size.</p> <h2>Sucafina in Kenya</h2> <p>Kahawa Bora Millers is operated by our sister company, Kenyacof/Sucafina Kenya. The mill opened in July 2018 in Thika, Central Kenya and finances, supports and mills a wide range of coffee qualities. The focus of the mill is to be a service provider offering micro-milling for small estates and individual growers across Kenya.</p> <p>Kahawa Bora recognizes the importance of cultivating supportive relationships with coffee farmers and roasters, alike. The mill provides crucial services for the farmers and cooperatives with whom they work. They provide key agricultural extension work, helping farmers improve the health of their crops, increase productivity and ensure the best possible quality. They also support innovation in the small estate sector.<br />Kahawa Bora also, more generally, lends their own expertise in quality processing to their clients, providing feedback and contributing to their knowledge of processing methods and evolving market demand.</p> <p>Most small estate owners do not typically produce enough coffee to fill 50 bags with parchment beans, the smallest quantity mills will generally process. Before Kahawa Bora was established, mills and marketing agents would have to blend smaller lots from multiple estates before bringing it to the mill. This meant that coffee from small estates was often anonymized, which could also limit payment for recognition or quality.</p> <p>Before operating their own mill, our sister company solved this problem by blending lots from approximately 4-8 producers living in the same area —such as with our Slopes of 8 coffees. This method also allowed producers to maintain the identity behind their coffee and gave them collective control over price expectations. Kahawa Bora’s microlot program is one more option that producers can choose along this vein.<br />With the purchase of the Kahawa Bora mill, it is now even easier to keep traceability intact all the way from the individual farmer who grew the lot through to the roaster. Thanks to the mill, small estate owners can receive larger payouts for to their high-quality production and link their name to their coffees for consumers to see.</p> <p>For farmers, having their name and life story connected to their coffee, which is then purchased and seen by the end user, can bring many benefits. It means that they can nurture long-term relationships with roasters and increase the value of their product. For roasters, connecting  farmers’ stories to the coffees they grew can create a stronger customer interest for specific coffees, added value and demand, and help finance successful long-term relationships with farmers.  </p> <h2>Coffee in Kenya</h2> <p>Though coffee growing had a relatively late start in Kenya, the industry has gained and maintained a impressive reputation. Since the start of production, Kenyan coffee has been recognized for its high-quality, meticulous preparation and exquisite flavors. Our in-country sister company, Kenyacof/Sucafina Kenya, works with farmers across the country to ensure these exceptional coffees gain the accolades they deserve.</p> <p>Today, more than 600,000 smallholders farming fewer than 5 acres compose 99% of the coffee farming population of Kenya. Their farms cover more than 75% of total coffee growing land and produce nearly 70% of the country’s coffee. These farmers are organized into hundreds of Farmer Cooperative Societies (FCS), all of which operate at least one factory. The remainder of annual production is grown and processed by small, medium and large land estates. Most of the larger estates have their own washing stations.</p> <p>Most Kenyan coffees are fully washed and dried on raised beds. The country still upholds its reputation for high quality and attention to detail at its many washing stations. The best factories employ stringent sorting practices at cherry intake, and many of them have had the same management staff in place for years.<br /><br /><br /></p>