Kenya, Rianjagi AA - Filter

Origin: Rianjagi, Embu, Kenya
Washing Station: Rianjagi Factory
Grade: AA
Processing: Washed
Variety: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28, SL34
Altitude: 1700 masl
Crop Year: 2024
Roast Style: Filter Coffee

Built in 1976, Rianjagi Factory and Rianjagi Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) is owned by the farmers. The factory and FCS are named for the area, which is alsocalled Rianjagi. Farmers receive a variety of supportsfrom the FCS, including farm inputs, farmer trainings andmarketing for their coff ee.

Farmers delivering to Rianjagi washing station cultivate primarily SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 and Batian in small coffee gardens that are, on average, smaller than 1 hectare. ‘SL’ varieties are cultivars originally released by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They soon became the go-to trees for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and flourish even without irrigation. They are cultivated with a serious eye towards sustainability and Good Agricultural Practices, with minimal environmental impact where possible.

Batian is a relatively new variety introduced by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute (CRI) in 2010. Batian is named after the highest peak on Mt. Kenya and is resistant to both CBD and CLR. The variety has the added benefit of early maturity – cropping after only two years. Similar toBatian, Ruiru 11 is a new variety known for its disease resistance and high yields. It also starts yielding fruit after just 2 years.

WASHED PROCESSING

All coffee is carefully selected by hand, de-pulped and undergoes 16-24 hours of dry fermentation in concrete tanks. After this it is washed, sorted and after 12-18 hours of washed fermentation is sent for drying. On the first day, the beans are dried on special nets, followed by 21 days of drying on the ordinary patios with constant stirring. At the last stage, the coffee is sent to the huller to remove all the upper layers. 

The farmers practice various agricultural practices including coffee farming, dairy and banana farming  with coffee being one of their main cash crops. On their farms of 0,25 ha they grow and produce numerous coffee varietals including SL 28, SL 34, Ruiru 11 and Batian. The cooperative produces over one million kilograms of cherry and remains one of the best coffee producing cooperatives in Kenya both in terms of production and returns/payments to the farmers, with some of the most high-quality AA and AB washed coffees from Kenya.