Kiambara is a washing station (or factory, as they are called in Kenya) located near Mt. Kenya National Park and the town of Kabare, in Kenya’s Nyeri County. Established in 1995, it is one of two active washing stations – along with its sister factory Gatina – owned by the Mugaga Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS).
Kiambara receives coffee cherries from 910 of the cooperative’s members, who grow coffee trees on nearby farms, located between 1,600 – 1,900 meters above sea level. Farmers who deliver to Kiambara have on average of around a quarter of a hectare of coffee (around 200 trees), and grow the crop alongside macadamias, bananas, maize and beans.
Once harvested, coffee cherries are delivered to Kiambara, where they are processed and dried under the management of John Gichuki, ahead of dried parchment being transported to Nairobi for milling and sale (either directly or through the auction system). The factory sits at 1,600m above sea level, on the slopes of Mt. Kenya, and is located near the Kingu river. Fresh, clean water is pumped from Kingu to process coffee, contributing to its exceptional quality.
ABOUT MUGAGA FARMERS’ COOPERATIVE SOCIETY
Mugaga was originally part of a much larger society called Mathira. This society was split up into smaller cooperatives, including Mugaga. The cooperative has two washing stations: Kiambara and Gatina. Mugaga supports its farmer members by helping them access training and resources to improve productivity and quality.
