KENYA MCHANA NATURAL
General Information
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Origin: Kenya
County: Kiambu Cooperative: Mchana Estate Washing Station: Mchana Estate Farmers: 172 active members (69 female, 103 male) Cultivar: SL28, K7, Ruiru 11 & Batian Altitude: 1800 masl Process: Natural Harvest: November 2025 - January 2026 Cherry Price | FOB Price: 8,07 USD/kg | 13,45 USD/Kg Screen | Moisture | Density: 15-16 | 10.4% | 0.714 g/ml Packaging: 30 Kg VP box Score: 87.8 Notes: Vanilla, plum, grapefruit, whiskey |
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TRACEABILITYMchana Estate is located in Kiambu County in Kenya. Coffee cherries are harvested between 1800-2150 meters above sea level with an average temperature ranging between 13-25 degrees Celsius. Mchana has a workforce of 172 permanent workers and casual workers vary from 200 to 1,200 per day depending on the season. The largest quantity is produced during the peak harvest season.
There are well-established health and safety measures that ensure workers work in a safe and healthy environment. Workers under 18 years of age are not hired. Issues related to sexual harassment are not allowed. Management does not prevent workers of various religions from wearing their religious clothing. Labor allocation is free of tribal discrimination and all workers are treated equally regardless of their origins. There is a daycare that looks after small babies when their parents are at work. A baby day care unit is also available and the children are looked after by a qualified and trained teacher. Children also receive nutritious, high-energy, well-balanced meals to meet their nutritional needs as they grow. In addition to that, there is a primary school called Ngewe Primary which caters for the children of the permanent workers who live on the estate and those from outside. In addition, they maintain a detailed catalogue of the coffee varieties they grow. SL28 constitutes the majority (74.1%) of the varieties grown here, followed by the grafted variety Ruiru 11 (23.7%), K7 (1.7%) and Batian (0.05%). This means that you are mostly drinking the SL28 variety. COFFEE GRADES IN KENYAEvery coffee farm in the world — even the most reputable ones — produces a mix of high-quality, medium, and lower-quality beans. Therefore, separating the denser, larger, and better beans from the lighter and defective ones is essential to maximising the producer’s financial returns.
In Kenya, once a lot has been processed, it is delivered in parchment to the Marketing Agent (MA) by the producer or cooperative. The MA then mills and grades the coffee by shape and size, assigning each lot a unique Outturn Number (ON). This ON is crucial for ensuring transparency and traceability throughout the system. Although the lot now has a unique Outturn Number, it is divided into several different grades based on bean size:
Given the high volume of samples and limited time available, we focus our attention primarily on the AA, AB, and PB grades. Thanks to the centralised and highly efficient system of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, this focused approach allows us to discover exceptional “hidden jewels” from remote areas of the country — coffees that would be almost impossible to find by simply travelling around Kenya. In simple terms, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange functions like a weekly Cup of Excellence, creating healthy competition and rewarding the best lots with higher prices. THE EVOLUTION OF KENYAN COFFEE VARIETIESKenya was one of the last African countries to be introduced to coffee. Yet today, it is renowned for producing some of the most delicious and highest-quality coffees in the world.
The main contributors to this reputation are the famous coffee varieties SL28 and SL34. Developed by the Scott Agricultural Laboratories in the 1930s (hence the “SL” prefix), these two varieties are celebrated for their exceptional cup quality, bright acidity, and complex flavours. They are also remarkably drought-tolerant, capable of surviving extended dry periods while still producing good yields. However, despite their many strengths, both SL28 and SL34 are highly susceptible to major diseases, particularly coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease (CBD). In recent years, climate change has severely affected Kenya’s traditional cultivars. Changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures have led to increased disease pressure and lower harvests. To address these challenges, the Kenya Coffee Research Foundation introduced new, more resilient varieties: Ruiru 11 (released in 1985) and Batian (released in 2010). Ruiru 11 offers several advantages for farmers: strong resistance to coffee berry disease and leaf rust, significantly higher yields, and a compact growth habit that allows for denser planting. Batian is also highly resistant to pests and diseases, delivers higher yields, and produces larger beans than many other wide Kenyan varieties. Today, many Ruiru 11 plants in Kenya are grafted onto SL28 rootstock. Grafting is a horticultural technique in which tissues from two different plants are joined so they continue to grow together as one. In this case, the upper part (scion) is Ruiru 11 — chosen for its disease resistance, high productivity, and compact structure — while the lower part (rootstock) is SL28, which provides a deep, robust root system that improves nutrient and water absorption, enhancing overall plant resilience and cup quality. |
WHY FARMERS ARE ABANDONING COFFEE?
MCHANA ESTATE LOCATION
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