The Kii washing station is located in Embu, Kirinyaga at the foot of Mount Kenya, and is one of three factories that make up the Rung’eto Farmers Cooperative Society. We’ve been buying their coffee since 2018 - they are always at the top of our list when we think of Kenyan coffees, with their bright acidity and fruit-forward flavour profiles. The Kii factory buys cherries from around 850 members of the cooperative, who are all growing coffee at altitudes of between 1600 and 1800 metres above sea level. The soil on the steep volcanic slopes is mineral rich and optimal for growing coffee. The station is named after the Kii river that flows nearby and provides water for the community and all coffee processing.
Kii mostly processes coffees using the classic ‘Kenyan double-soak’ or ‘Kenyan washed’ process. This involves floating cherries to sort for density, then the denser cherries are stored in a tank to begin fermenting. They are then depulped, washed and fermented again in clean water to remove all remaining mucilage. Finally, the beans are dried very slowly on raised beds for between 12 and 20 days. This meticulous processing results in an intense, complex and delicious coffee.
Seasonal buying is about seeing coffee as a crop not a commodity, buying in harmony with the growing seasons to enjoy coffee at its best. This kind of buying has always been the backbone of our business and it’s something we’ve improved and refined every year.
