New Kenya Gichatha-ini is here!

Early summer brings good things to Portland: an end to the monsoon season and a chance to get some color, lots of bicycles, parades, festivals, delicious fresh produce, and fresh crop Kenyan coffees. While we love all of the coffees that we serve at Heart, there’s just a special place in our Hearts for a good Kenya, and this year, we are especially happy with the coffee we have received from Gichathaini Cooperative in Nyeri. The coffee is a combination of the SL-28, and SL-34 varietals, and the ripe cherries are picked, washed, and then fermented for 72 hours, quite long in processing terms. The fermented coffee is then placed on raised beds to dry in the sun. The meticulous processing leads to a clean and vibrant cup with a bright acidity and notes of apple, fresh berries, rhubarb, lemon tea, and cane sugar. The profile of the cup is so fruity and sweet that many have compared it to more of a fruit juice, or fruit infused herbal tea than coffee, and that’s alright with us. Come experience this unique and beautiful coffee while you can, buy it in a 12 ounce bag for home, or try a Chemex on the brew bar. -Jeremy Williamson

 

The Factory manager

Pulp tower at Gichatha-ini factory.

SUSTAINABLE FARMING

In line with sustainable and responsible farming principles the factory has adopted certification and

advocates for good agricultural practices among its farmers. The factory is Fairtrade certified

and is currently pursuing Utz Kapeh certification.

In order to conserve electricity clean water for pulping is sourced from river Ragati using channels.

Additionally coffee is sun dried on the numerous drying tables available.

For conservation water is re-circulated during processing and disposed responsibly in numerous

soak pits away from water sources. Pulp from the factory is collected by farmers for use as mulch

on their farms to improve the soil structure and organic matter content.