Washed Mathare-ini station is located in Murang'a County, north of Nairobi, on the fertile slopes of the Aberdare Mountains. It is part of the Thanga-ini Farmers Cooperative Society, which brings together more than 900 smallholder farmers growing traditional Kenyan varieties such as SL-28 and SL-34, along with newer hybrids such as Batian and Ruiru-11. Each farmer manages small plots of between 200 and 300 trees, grown in rich volcanic soils and under a temperate climate that favors slow ripening of the fruit. The ripe cherries are delivered in season, where they are pulped, fermented and carefully washed before being dried on raised beds, following the classic Kenyan method that gives rise to clean, bright and complex cups. The cooperative's commitment to technical training and process consistency has allowed Mathare-ini to maintain a solid reputation among Central Region coffees. This lot reflects the balance and precision that have made Kenya one of the most admired origins in the specialty coffee world. ProcessThe ripe cherries are hand-picked by the growers and delivered the same day to the Washed Mathare-ini station. There, a first visual selection is made to eliminate unripe or damaged cherries before pulping. The coffee is fermented in tanks of clean water for 12 to 24 hours, depending on climatic conditions, to decompose the mucilage in a controlled manner. Once fermentation is complete, the beans are thoroughly washed in sorting channels, where they are separated by density, and then immersed in fresh water for an additional 24 hours to stabilize the beans and improve their clarity in the cup.Drying is carried out on raised beds for a period of 7 to 15 days, with regular turning to ensure uniform drying and prevent defects. Once the ideal humidity has been reached, the coffee is left to rest on parchment before being threshed and prepared for export.
