Kianjiru

Kianjiru, a name derived from a clan Unjiru, is a small holder’s farmers association which produces a high grown top quality coffee grown on the Southern slopes of snow capped Mt. Kenya. Located in the central highlands of Kenya, just south of the Equator, the coffee from this area is known for its distinct high acidity because of the rich volcanic soils. Kianjiru produces about 20 tons of coffee a year. Location Kianjiru is located in Kirinyaga District, which is about 160 Km from Nairobi at an altitude of 1750 metres above sea level. The region is especially renown for its high quality societies (small holder) produced coffees. Precipitation & Soil Due to its strategic location – on the windward of Mt. Kenya, It has a good network of permanent rivers and is wet throughout out the year. The area has two distinct rainfall seasons, long rains (March to May) and short rains (October to November). It has an equatorial type of climate with rich volcanic soils. Processing Coffee at Kianjiru is wet processed by a central pulpery owned by the village society. Starting with harvesting red ripe cherry only, coffee is then pulped immediately and fermented to remove the mucilage. When fermentation is complete, the parchment is washed with clean water, graded and spread onto raised beds for drying. While sun drying all defective beans are removed by hand.