Kenya Mugaya AB Washed

Founded in 1975 under the Mutira Farmers Cooperative Society, Mugaya factory sits in Kirunda sub-location, within Mutira, in Kerugoya division, Kirinyaga County. Today its supported by 924 active smallholder members, each tending an average of 200 coffee trees. The farms here grow a mix of SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian, varieties well suited to the regions rich, red-volcanic soil. Sitting at 1,570 metres above sea level, with temperatures between 12–26°C and around 1,100mm of rain each year, Mugayas setting gives its coffee the conditions to thrive.

Once cherries are hand-picked at peak ripeness, farmers deliver them straight to the factory for washing. A disc pulper strips away the skin and fruit, separating it from the parchment layer that protects the bean beneath.

From there, the pulped coffee rests overnight to ferment, allowing the mucilage to break down naturally. Its then channelled into a soaking tank for a thorough clean before being laid out on raised drying beds.

Drying takes anywhere from 7 to 15 days, depending on the weather, temperature, and how much coffee is moving through the mill at the time. Throughout, the beans are turned and sorted by hand, a slow, hands-on process that keeps the drying even and the quality consistent.