KCCE ‘Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters’, a cooperative founded in 2009 and supported by the governmentto respond to the needs of Kenyan coffee farmers to have more control over the marketing of their own production in order to obtain higher net yields and to improve the quality of their coffee. addressing various challenges faced by the coffee sector related to coffee production, quality, marketing and added value. Together with KCCE we have added coffees from nine washing stations that are located in the Nyeri region, these washing stations (known locally as ‘factories’) are organized within Cooperatives that are members of KCCE. In two factories we have developed our natural experiments with anaerobic fermentation and ‘sleeping bag’ drying technique repeating the process we had previously done in Murang’a and Kiambu, This is the first year in which we have carried out experimental processes in Cooperatives in Kenya, until now we had only carried them out in small farms. The result of this work are stable and very clean lots, and the producers are very encouraged, since this type of coffees create a new market niche for them.

The Njuriga Washing station is located in the Nyeri coffee region. It began operating in 1999 and since then has established itself as a reference point for Producers in the area, who deliver their cherries for processing.

The Farms that supply this station are located between 1,700 and 1,780 meters above sea level. The main varieties grown are SL 28, Batian, Ruiru 11 and SL 24, which grow on clay-textured soils.

Due to the high number of associated Producers, more than 470, the Washed station itself constitutes a single Cooperative, also called Njuriga, directed by Pauline Mumbi Karim. Margret Wanjiku is in charge of the Washed station; she is a woman with infectious energy and a great sense of humor. James Maina is responsible for the wet mill. Together they form a very committed team, with a vocation for continuous improvement and for taking on new challenges.