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 Ichamama Washing station is located in the Coffee region of Nyeri, in the Othaya district. It has been in operation since 1999 and, along with other stations in the area, is part of the Othaya Farmers Cooperative.

The stations and the Cooperative are owned by the region’s Coffee Producers, who deliver their cherries there for processing, which favors traceability and quality control.

The coffee growers of this Cooperative receive support in terms of inputs, agricultural training and accompaniment in the commercialization of their coffees. Their Farms are located between 1,650 and 1,800 meters above sea level, on soils of volcanic origin, and mainly cultivate the Ruiru 11, SL 28 and SL 34 varieties; the majority of the farms are small, of around one hectare.

At each Harvest, the Producers manually select the cherries and deliver them to the Washed station. The Ichamama team receives these cherries and rigorously applies the established processes. Ichamama’s Washed station is located at 1,760 meters above sea level, an Altitude that favors the development of coffees with good definition, sweetness and complexity in the Flavour profile.