Kenya — Iria-Ini FCS Kiamwangi Factory Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28 & SL34 (Double Fermentation Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackcurrant • 🍈 Pink Grapefruit • 🍯 Honey

DETAILS

• Producer: Iria-Ini Farmers' Cooperative Society (smallholders)
• Washing Station: Kiamwangi Factory
• Region: Mathira Constituency, Nyeri County, Kenya
• Varietal: Batian, Ruiru 11, SL28 & SL34
• Process: Double Fermentation Washed
• Elevation: 1,700–1,900 masl

INTRO
Iria-Ini means "place of milk" in the local language, speaking to the region's fertility and agricultural abundance. This lot from the Kiamwangi Factory, one of three washing stations operated by the Iria-Ini FCS, delivers blackcurrant and pink grapefruit brightness with a honeyed sweetness. In the cup: blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, and honey.

THE PRODUCER
The Kiamwangi Factory serves hundreds of smallholder farmers in Mathira Constituency, Nyeri County — some with as few as 100 coffee trees — who deliver their cherries on foot or by motorcycle (boda boda). Kiamwangi is one of the cooperative washing stations supported by Kamavindi Coffee Lab, which works with Iria-Ini FCS to train producers on processing and post-harvest practices, helping them access direct international markets. The relationship with Kamavindi began in 2026, drawn by their commitment to transparency, quality, and community education.

THE PROCESS
This lot uses the Kenyan Double Fermentation Washed method, a meticulous variation of traditional washing designed to enhance clarity and complexity. After selective handpicking and flotation sorting, ripe cherries are pulped the same day of harvest. The coffee undergoes an initial 36-hour dry fermentation, followed by an intermediate wash and a second fermentation in clean water, refining cleanliness and flavour definition further. The parchment is then thoroughly washed in channels, with a possible soaking stage in clean water to stabilise the coffee, before drying slowly on raised African beds for 14 to 21 days with frequent turning and protective covering.

The double fermentation — first dry, then in clean water — is the defining step. It's what builds the clean blackcurrant and grapefruit clarity that define this cup, finishing on a honeyed sweetness.

THE CUP
Clean and bright — blackcurrant and pink grapefruit lead, with a honeyed sweetness rounding out the finish.

Flavour Notes
🫐 Blackcurrant 🍈 Pink Grapefruit 🍯 Honey