Mutwewathi AA

Coffee Bio:

Mutwewathi Factory is located in Mukurwe’ini subcounty, Nyeri County, on the eastern side of the Aberdare Ranges. It is owned by the New Gikaru Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), registered in 2001. With over 4,600 coffee‑growing members, New Gikaru operates five wet mills: Ichamara, Thangathi, Mutwewathi, Kahuro and Kiuu.

At the factory, cherries undergo the traditional Kenyan fully washed process. They are first sorted to remove underripe and defective fruit, then pulped to strip away the outer skin. The resulting parchment coffee ferments in concrete tanks for 12 to 16 hours, with timing determined by climate and temperature. Fermentation breaks down the sticky mucilage, after which the parchment is washed in clean water and passed through grading channels.

During peak harvest, when raised beds are fully occupied, the parchment is soaked in circulating water for up to 24 hours before being transferred to dry. Drying takes place on raised beds over 7 to 21 days. Workers turn the parchment regularly and cover it during the hottest hours to ensure even drying and prevent defects, a hallmark of Kenya’s meticulous processing tradition.