Kigubu Farmers Cooperative Society
Gicherori is a washing station in Embu owned by the Kigubu Coop. It is situated in 1550 masl on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. The station buys cherries from approx. 1800 small producers from the neighbouring villages. Crop starts in December and usually peaks in January.
Varieties and processing
It is common in Kenya that the stations buy coffees from several farmers who grow a mixture of different varieties like SL28/SL34 or new and more disease resistant varities Batian or Ruira 11. These new varieties yield more then the tradiotional SL. Hence they are becoming more popular.
Freshly picked cherries are pulped using McKinnon pulpers. Fermentation takes place in concrete tanks for the duration of 16-24 hours. Next, the parchment is washed and let rest in cold water for 16-20 hours. Then the beans are dried on African beds for approx. 15 days, depending on weather.
