Kenya
Kevote wet mill
Runyenjes
Embu County
Mount Kenya
1900 masl
Peaberry

Dried mango, caramel, and fresh lime.

Kevote Wet Mill: On the slopes of Mount Kenya the Kevote wet mill serves some 2600 smallholder farmers. Founded in 1957 the mill has evolved and expanded over the years, increasing its support for local farmers. The same operators now manage and support farmers across three different facilities across different towns in Embu. The Kevote wet mill is people-focused and operated, with a democratically elected five-member board that ensures equal opportunity and local representation. 

True Kenyan style: The smallholder members of Kevote selectively hand-pick ripe cherry and deliver it to the Kevote mill, where the coffee is sorted and cleaned using fresh water from a local tributary. Kevote use the traditional, tried and true Kenyan double-washing 'soaking step' method, followed by slow even drying on raised African beds.

A soaking step: Unique and almost ubiquitous to Kenyan coffee processing is a step known as the 'soaking step'. The process begins with the coffee cherry selectively picked, then floated and de-pulped, usually on the same day. The clean cherry seed is then transferred to open-air tanks for a fermentation period. This fermentation period ranges between 24 and 48 hours, depending on temperature and humidity. The coffee seed is then washed thoroughly in water channels before being introduced to the unique 'soaking step'. The coffee seed soaks here for 12-72 hours, again, depending on temperature and humidity.

Microlots traceable plots: Microlots in Kenya are selected based on cup scores and are highly traceable, often to the wet mill, factory, or individual farm level. Given that most Kenyan coffee farmers own small plots of land, typically they deliver their cherries to local factories where the coffee is sorted, processed into day lots, and blended. A dedicated green buyer typically takes up residency during the harvest to cup the numerous samples and selects the best of these lots to be purchased as microlots, equalling fewer than 100 bags (Peaberries are even more highly sought after--so we're super lucky we nabbed this one!).

Embu, don't mind if I do: Located in the foothills of Mount Kenya, northeast of Nairobi, Embu is high in elevation, has two rainy seasons, and rich soil supported by six rivers. About 80% of households engage in agriculture, with thousands of small producers delivering coffee to hundreds of cooperatives. With natural and structural supports like this, the Embu region collectively produces approximately 600,000kg of coffee annually!

Kenyan Connection: This gorgeous Kevote Peaberry comes to us from our partners at Cafe Imports. Over a decade ago, Cafe Imports began direct sourcing in Kenya, establishing long standing partnerships with local mills and estates. This initiative has allowed for exceptional, traceable Kenyan coffees.

Coffee two ways: Coffee in Kenya is sold through two main marketing systems: auctions at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and direct sales, known as 'Second Window'.

Auction System: Kenya's auction system, established in the 1930s, evolved from open-outcry bidding to a silent, electronic trigger system. Estates or co-operatives work with marketing agents who bring coffees to auction, charging 1.5–3% of the coffee price plus government tax. Auctions take place on Tuesdays in Nairobi, where agents tender samples and bidders compete for the best lots.

Second Window Sales: The 'Second Window' allows farmers and buyers to negotiate prices outside the auction system, and are often pre-arranged before or during the harvest. Exporters also directly purchase coffees from marketing agents or mills, based on the previous week’s auction prices for specific grades. It's in this second window that relationships really count!

It sounds like a lot to keep track of, but with help from Cafe Imports, we're on it like an olde-timey telephone exchange operator!