Coffee Shishimai VAN

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 Washed station is located in the Nyeri coffee region, specifically in the Othaya coffee district.
This Washed station has been in operation since 1999 and, together with other Washed stations in the region, is part of the Othaya Farmers Cooperative.
The stations and the Cooperative belong to the Coffee Producers of the region who deliver the harvest of their cherries to be processed.
The Producers of this Cooperative receive support in inputs, agricultural training and aid for the commercialization of their coffees.
The Farms of these Coffee Producers are located between 1,650 and 1,800 meters above sea level and cultivate mostly coffees of the Varietals Ruiru 11, SL 28 and SL 34. All the Farms are approximately one hectare in size and the Types of soil are volcanic.
The coffee growers manually select the red cherries and deliver them to the Washed station. Once there, the Ichamama team receives the cherries to carry out the established processes.
John Ngunjiri is in charge of the Washed station Ichamama, in his team works Samuel Gathua a young man eager to learn and know more and more about the processes and development of Coffee cherries.
All the Coffees produced at the Ichamama Washed station are named after the Shishimai star of our Constellations Range.