KENYA muthuaini AA
General Information
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Origin: Kenya
County: Nyeri Cooperative: Mutheka FCS Washing Station: Muthuaini Farmers: 560 active members (224 female, 336 male) Cultivar: SL28, SL34, Batian, Ruiru 11 Altitude: 1700-1920 masl Process: Fully washed with double fermentation Harvest: November 2025 - January 2026 Cherry Price | FOB Price: 6.63 USD/kg | 11.24 USD/Kg Screen | Moisture | Density: 17-18 | 1.7% | 0.723 g/ml Packaging: 30 Kg VP box Score: 87.5 Notes: Orange, raspberry, floral, bergamot |
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TRACEABILITYMuthuaini (also spelt Muthua-ini) is a quality washing station located in the heart of Nyeri County on the southern slopes of Mount Kenya. Part of the highly regarded Mutheka Farmers Cooperative Society, this factory is known for producing clean, vibrant, and complex Kenyan coffees that consistently rank among the region's best.
The factory draws its cherries from around 400–600 smallholder farmers (varying by season), who cultivate very small plots — often just a few hundred coffee trees each. These farmers are members of the Mutheka FCS, which oversees multiple wet mills and supports nearly 5,000 smallholders across the area with training, inputs, and quality improvement programs. A significant portion of the producers are women, reflecting the strong role of women in Nyeri’s coffee sector. Situated at altitudes ranging from 1,700 to 1,920 masl, Muthuaini benefits from rich red volcanic soils, cool nights, and reliable bimodal rainfall. The main varieties grown here are the classic SL28 and SL34, complemented by the disease-resistant Ruiru 11 and Batian. At the factory, the cherries are carefully processed using the traditional fully washed method with double fermentation. The process includes pulping, overnight dry fermentation, washing in grading channels, followed by a 24–48 hour soaking period, and finally sun-drying on raised African beds with meticulous hand-sorting. After drying, the parchment is transported to a dry mill, hulled, graded by size and density (with AA being the top grade), and assigned a unique Outturn Number (ON). This system ensures excellent traceability, allowing buyers to connect each lot directly back to Muthuaini Factory and the Mutheka Cooperative. The name “Muthuaini” comes from the Kikuyu language, meaning “a place with many ants” — a reference to the local environment where the factory now stands. 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. |
KENYAN DOUBLE FERMENTATION
MUTHUAINI FACTORY LOCATION
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