Located on the southern slopes of snow capped Mount Kenya, Gathambi is strategically located for quality coffee production. These windward slopes accentuate the defined wet and dry seasons of Kenya, and are beneficial to coffee production by providing the coffee with needed water during flowering, and dry weather after the harvest when the coffee is being dried. In Gathambi they have volcanic sandy soil which is rich in nutrients and the highland plateau is watered by the Rwamuthambi river. When you combine these prime conditions with the SL-28 and SL-34 varietals, which were bred specifically for their flavor attributes, you produce the coffees with the rich, juicy mouthfeel that Kenya is famous for.

The coffee from Gathambi is a classic example of traditional Kenyan processing. Ripe cherries are depulped and washed in fermentation tanks for 24 hours, and then dried on raised drying beds. The members of the Mwirua Cooperative Society, mostly small land holders, pick their coffee and bring it to the centralized mill at Gathambi. This method of centralization allows the farmers to pool technical knowledge and improve the quality of their coffee.

Order this coffee here, or find it at our retail locations: 71 Irving Place & 56 7th Avenue in Manhattan. Also available from Irving Farm’s reputable wholesale partners.