Kamwangi

This washing station is located in the volcanic highlands of Mt. Kenya, in Kirinyaga county.

Kamwangi is part of the New Ngariama Cooperative, which includes three washing stations: Kainamaui, Kamwangi, and Mathigira. Kamwangi was established in 1975 and is strategically located at the foothills of Mt. Kenya.

The factory is owned by small-scale farmers, serving approximately 1,800 active members (with a 50:50 gender ratio) who deliver their ripe cherries immediately after harvest. The average farmer owns 0.1 ha of land, where they grow coffee as a source of family income, alongside food crops like maize, beans, potatoes, vegetables, and fruits for their own consumption.

Upon arrival at the washing station, farmers sort the under-ripe and over-ripe cherries under the supervision of the factory manager. The coffee is then placed in a cherry pit, awaiting the pulping process.

After all members have delivered their coffee for the day, pulping begins, and the coffee undergoes dry fermentation for 24 hours in clean tanks. Subsequently, the mucilage is washed off using clean water from the Nyamindi River, which flows from the Mt. Kenya forest. The coffee is soaked in clean water for 6 hours and then dried on raised beds under close supervision to minimize heat damage.

The primary varieties grown are SL28 and SL34, making up over 90%, with some presence of Batian and Ruiru 11.

Growing Altitude: 1,600–1,700 masl

Harvest Period: October–January