Kayu Coffee Factory is located in Central Province of Murang’a County’s Rwatha subregion, within the Kangema Division near Kangema town. It was established in 1964 and rests on a 7-acre piece of land serving Kayu, Njumbi, Rwathia, and Mihuti villages. Its membership currently stands at 1191. The factory lies about 1650 masl on lands rich with volcanic red soil. The area experiences temperatures ranging between 13-26 degrees Celsius. The longer rainy season runs between March and May while the shorter one comes between October and December. The area experiences a biennial production cycle with the early harvest being from March through May and the later second season being from October through December.

The affiliate members of the factory carry out all agronomic activities associated with coffee production, including sourcing coffee from the Coffee Research Station and planting it according to the stipulated guidelines and latest best practices. Fieldwork involves weeding, pruning, spraying and application of fertilizer, mulching, and technical advice. Technical advice is offered through farmer training programs and field visits/days offered by the ministry of agriculture.

The farms here are mostly very small (1-2 hectares) and adults work the farms while children attend school all day. Schools here cost money, which unfortunately limits access to education and future opportunities in this mostly-poor area. Due to lack of opportunity, much of the young population is migrating en masse to cities in search of better jobs, leaving their parents alone on the farms or even taking their parents and abandoning their farms. This problem gets worse each year, but some producers remain hopeful that coffee can provide good business opportunities for their children.

This lot was imported by Red Fox Coffee Merchants