Coffee
Kiangundo AB, Kenya, Espresso
$28.00
Tasting notes
Blackcurrant, caramel & apricot
Brewing
We suggest using this coffee for espresso brew methods, but it's also great in a French Press, stovetop or plunger: whatever you use to keep yourself caffeinated and having a good time.
Origin Information
Country : Kenya
Region : Central Kenya
Municipality : Antigua
County : Nyeri County
Factory : Kiangundo
Farmer's Cooperative Soctiety : Kiama FCS
Factory Elevation : 1800 MASL
Farmers : 839 smallholder producers
Average Farm elevation : 1700-1800 MASL
Average Farm size : 0.5 Hectares
Variety: SL28, SL34, Ruiru11, Batian
Coffee Grade : AB
Processing : Washed
Growth Story
Kiangundo is a washing station located on the slopes of Mount Kenya, in the Karatina Municipality of Kenya’s Nyeri County. Established in 1968, it is one of four washing stations (or factories, as they are called in Kenya) owned by the Kiama Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS).
Kiangundo receives coffee cherries from some 800 of the cooperative’s members (50% male, 30% women and 20% youth) who have small farms sitting on the foothills of the extinct volcano at 1700-1800m above sea level. This area is defined by its bright red, nutrient rich volcanic soil and this combined with the regions cool climate and high elevations contributes to the outstanding quality of coffee produced here.
The land that surrounds Kiangundo is also rich is biodiversity. Close to the factory lies the large Ragati Conservancy, a large 8,000 hectare protected area that consists of montane forest and marshes and is home to an abundance of wildlife including elephants, buffalo and leopards.
Manager Jackson Mahu Kooro, who originally joined Kiama in 1999, oversees the collection and careful processing of the coffee cherries following a promotion to factory manager in 2022, after 17 years as as Kiangundo’s machine operator. Besides Jackson, Kiangundo employs five permanent staff members year-round and an additional twenty workers during the season.
As part of their commitment to excellent quality, the cooperative has made several investments in the Kiangundo washing station in recent years. In 2020, the cooperative upgraded to digital scales, providing farmers and clerks with better accountability when coffee cherry is delivered. The factory is also in the process of completing their Rainforest Alliance certification, as part of Kiama’s commitment to social, economic and environmental sustainability. Since 2023, the processing centre has distributed shade tree seedlings to its members, all grown on a nursery they have built onsite.
