Thunguri · Kenya · SL-28, K7, Ruiru, Batian · Washed

Blackberry and jasmine, carried by a calm caramel sweetness. Bright acidity, lots of structure. Behind Thunguri are nearly 7,000 smallholder farmers from Kirinyaga and one of the most exciting cooperatives we’re currently working with.

About the Cooperative
The Thunguri Factory belongs to the Kibirigwi Farmers’ Cooperative Society, founded in 1953. Today, it has 6,888 active members: 4,861 women and 2,027 men.
The farms are small, around 0.2 hectares with roughly 50 coffee trees per family. Altogether, Kibirigwi FCS manages around 1,722,000 coffee trees and operates eight additional wet mills alongside Thunguri (Kianjege, Ragati, Nguguini, Mukangu, Kiangai, Kibingoti, Chema, and Kiai — the latter closed since 2002).
Fifty-seven permanent employees and an average of 80 seasonal workers keep operations running, overseen by a nine-member elected board. The main office is located at the Ragati Wet Mill, around 5 km from Karatina and 112 km north of Nairobi.

Cultivation & Harvest
The main flowering season runs from October to February, with a smaller fly crop in April and May. The region has two rainy seasons, receiving 1,200 to 1,500 mm of rainfall annually, with temperatures ranging between 12 and 25°C. The coffee grows on deep red volcanic soils at 2,500 meters above sea level.

Processing
Washed. The cherries are hand-sorted and delivered to Thunguri Factory the very same day. After pulping, they ferment for 16 to 18 hours until the mucilage breaks down. The coffee is then washed, graded, and dried on raised African beds in the sun until moisture content reaches 10.5–11.5%.
Water is sourced from the nearby Kangocho stream, recirculated multiple times during processing, and finally directed into evaporation and soak pits.