Gichathaini

The farmer

Gichathaini was the very first coffee factory that Klaus visited in Kenya in the spring when we founded the Coffee Collective. We’ve purchased from this wet mill before, but it’s been a few years since our last purchase.

Gichathaini has been one of the most renowned cooperative factories in Kenya for many years. It’s part of the Gikanda society, which used to be comprised of Gichathaini, Kangocho, and Ndaroini until the latter went private.

This year, Gikanda opened its own dry mill, which is a project that has been underway for many years. The Dry Mill means they can do everything up to export level themselves, except for maybe a final electronic or hand sorting and vacuum packing. This should mean they earn more for themselves, but also that the coffee can move more quickly and not be stuck at a larger dry mill together with coffee from hundreds of other factories.