Gatomboya Coffee Farm

Gatomboya is a Kikuyu word meaning swamp due to the swampy area surrounding the site.

The Gatomboya washing station is located in the Nyeri District near the south of Mount Kenya. It is part of the Barichu Cooperative Society. The station sits at 1800 metres, around 4km from the town of Karatina. The 600 registered members cultivate coffee between 1400 and 2000 metres above sea level.

The washing station processes around 600 tons of cherry annually which is harvested between November and December. The producers in the area mainly cultivate SL34 and SL28 varietals, alongside the newer Ruiru 11 variety in a terroir constituted of rich volcanic, sandy soil.

Coffee Process

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

After floating, the cherries are pulped and fermented for 16 to 24 hours.

Following fermentation, coffee is washed clean water and soaked for 8 to 14 hours.

Parchment is laid to dry on raised beds. The factory staff rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying and they ensure that parchment is covered during the hottest time of day. This maintains slow, even drying and protects the parchment from moisture. 21 days is the usually the time it takes for the parchment to dry. It is then removed and stored in the factory warehouse, ready to be delivered to the auction for marketing.