Kenya - Kii AA

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The Kii factory is located in Ngairiama in the Gichugu division of Kirinyaga district in Central Province.  It is part of the Rungeto Farmers Coop Society, established in 1953, which now has around 3507 members.  Each smallholder member has around a hectare of land for growing coffee, typically alongside vegetables for the family.

The area has rich and fertile red volcanic soil at altitudes of 1700 to 1900 metres above sea level and receives between 1600 and 1900mm of rainfall annually.

Coffee is handpicked by the smallholder members and delivered to the Kii factory where it is pulped. This initially separates the dense beans from the immature ‘mbuni’s (floaters) using water floatation which means the denser beans will sink and be sent through channels to the fermentation tank. This first stage of fermentation will last for around 24 hours, after which the beans are washed and sent to the secondary fermentation tank for another 12-24 hours.

Once the fermentation process is completed, the beans enter the washing channels where the dense beans are cleaned of mucilage. The washed beans will then enter soaking tanks where they can sit under clean water for another 24 hours.

This soaking process allows amino acids and proteins in the cellular structure of each bean to develop which results in higher levels of acidity and complex fruit flavours in the cup - it is thought that this process of soaking contributes to the flavour profiles that Kenyan coffees are so famed for.