Kenya Kamwangi

​Established in 1982, Kamwangi Factory sits in Kenya’s Kirinyaga County and serves more than 1,800 smallholder farmers as one of three washing stations operated by the New Ngariama Farmers Cooperative Society. The cooperative itself was reestablished in 1997 following the dissolution of the original Ngariama FCS and has since grown into a network of roughly 6,000 active members.

Over the years, many washing stations in Kenya have experienced declining cherry deliveries. However,  Kamwangi has experienced the opposite. Continued growth shows a cooperative that has invested in its farmers, strengthened traceability, and established lasting relationships rooted in transparency and fair compensation.

Water from the nearby Nyamindi River flows through the washing station. Fed by glacial runoff from Mount Kenya and protected by the surrounding forest, Kamwangi sits in one of the world’s most celebrated coffee-growing climates.

Only ripe cherries are handpicked before being delivered to Kamwangi the same day they’re harvested.

Every delivery is carefully sorted before entering the washing station. Unripe or damaged fruit is removed immediately, making sure only the highest-quality cherries move forward.

Once all the red cherries are separated, they are brought over to the mechanical disc pulpers to be depulped. Once the cherry skins are removed, the coffee covered in mucilage sits in ceramic-tiled tanks to ferment naturally for approximately 12 to 24 hours under the watchful eye of experienced mill staff. Timing is crucial. Fermentation is stopped precisely when the mucilage has broken down enough to reveal the clarity Kenya is known for.

The coffee is then thoroughly washed, graded through density channels, and transferred to raised drying beds.