Kenya
Gachatha

The Gachatha factory is operated by the 900 smallholder farmers of the Gachatha Farmers Cooperative Society in the Nyeri region. Their coffee has notes of blood orange and blackcurrant, with a jammy body.

Washed process SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, Batian

Flavour: blood orange, blackcurrant, jammy

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

Gachatha Farmers Co-operative Society was formed in 1963, and today has just over a thousand members, almost all active farmers. A typical member farm is 0.4 hectares, with 300 trees.

The factory itself supports 9 permanent staff, with around 25 seasonal workers to help with cherry reception, depulping, and drying.

The area surrounding Gachatha is densely populated, so every effort is made to minimize impact. The factory treats all water in soak pits to ensure no contaminates run into the local waterways, which are a source for drinking water.

The community also places great importance on protecting the indigenous trees that remain in the area, so that the local bird life can be sustained.

We’ve been looking forward to sharing this coffee since Reuben was there back in 2017, and to be supporting a cooperative which shares our values around community and the environment.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Gachatha
Country: Kenya
Region: Nyeri
Altitude: 1800m above sea level
Varieties: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11, and Batian
Process: washed
Harvested: November 2022
Importer: Condesa Co.Lab
Body: Medium
Acidity: Bright
Tasting notes: Blood orange, blackcurrant, jammy
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Batian variety

Batian is the latest variety to be developed in Kenya, it is named after the peak of Mount Kenya

Ruiru 11 variety

Released in 1985, Ruiru 11 is a disease resistant varietal developed in Kenya

SL28 variety

SL28 was developed in 1931 by Scott Laboratories to suit the growing conditions in Kenya. The varietal is known for its exceptional cup quality

SL34 variety

Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, the SL34 varietal was designed to be high yielding with good cup quality.

The location

Coffee from Kenya

Alongside Ethiopia and Colombia, Kenya is one of the origins we get most excited about at the roastery. It exports some of the most vibrant, bright, and unique coffees in the world.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.