Kenya Kariaini AA

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. 

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.

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.

Kariaini Factory is operated by Thangaini Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS). The station was built in 1965 and is named after Kariaini village, which was named after what used to be a marshy area by the same name. There are 700 registered members of Kariaini Factory and about 500 deliver cherry regularly.  

Farmers delivering to Kariaini grow mostly SL28, Ruiru 11 and Batian variety trees on their land. ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. They are cultivated with a serious eye towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible. Ruiru 11 and Batian are newer varieties known for their disease resistance and high yields. They both start yielding fruit after just 2 years.  

Smallholders selectively handpick only ripe cherry and deliver it to Kariani Factory. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherry.  

After intake, cherry is pulped and fermented for approximately 12 to 16 hours. Following fermentation, coffee is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to dry. Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. They cover drying parchment during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter parchment from moisture.  

Kenyan coffees are classified by size. AA beans are the largest size. AA grade coffees are those that are 17/18 screen size, meaning that they are larger than 7.2 millimeters.