Kenya Docha 250G

Docha Estate is located so close to Nairobi that it is quite impressive that Danson and his 3 brothers are still farming here. Many farms in the area have been given over to land or infrastructure developments. Danson Wanyutu Karugondo and his brothers - Geoffrey, Bernard and Eliud - grow and process this fully washed coffee on their farm, Docha Estate. The estate is located between 1,650 and 1,850 meters above sea level in Kiambu County in Kenya, a stone's throw from Nairobi - 15 km to be exact. The brothers grew up on Docha Estate and learned coffee production from their parents. Danson oversees much of the work and uses organic manure from their cows and chickens to improve the quality of their coffee. Kiambu County has deep red volcanic soils that are rich in organic matter and perfect for growing coffee. The farm is planted with a mix of 'traditional' SL34 and SL28 coffee trees. He works the farm himself - with a little help - very diligently. The "SL" varieties were cultivars originally marketed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (SAL) in the 1930s and 1940s. They quickly became the trees of choice for many growers in Kenya due to their deep root structure, which allows them to maximize scarce water resources and thrive even without irrigation. Along with the more recently developed Ruiru-11, these varieties are virtually ubiquitous in Kenya today. Docha is classified as a "small estate" in Kenya. This sector has, until recently, been often neglected. Traditionally, many farmers of this size in Kenya did not have their own processing equipment. They have historically delivered cherries to a centralized cooperative-owned “factory” (as washing stations are called, locally), where their production is combined with that of others in their area. Danson, however, has his own small wet mill where he is able to process his own coffee, ensuring full traceability back to his farm. The cherry is selectively picked by hand and then pulped. The coffee is then fermented for 12 to 24 hours in a small vat before being washed with clean water to remove any remaining mucilage. All wastewater from the washing process is treated to limit its environmental impact. The parchment is soaked for 12 hours and then transferred to raised beds where it dries for 14 to 21 days. As it dries, the parchment is turned regularly to ensure even drying. Even for farmers who can have their own processing facility, the dry milling facility in Kenya does not serve small and medium farmers well. Dry mills have minimum batches, which are usually around 50 parchment bags per batch. This is often inaccessible to small farmers, forcing them to merge their batches with others, thereby losing traceability. The loss of traceability in turn reduces their overall returns and removes the potential for name recognition and direct business relationships.