Kiandu
The Kiandu Coffee Factory is part of the Mutheka Coffee Farmer’s Society, which is made up of around 6,000 active members. Each of these farmers grows 160 or so coffee trees, and most farms grow other crops such as maize, beans, and sweet potato.
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After picking, the ripe coffee cherry is brought to the factory by the farmers, before it is processed to remove the skin and pulp, before coffee undergoes a dry fermentation to break down the mucilage sticking to the parchment, staying in the fermentation tanks for eighteen to 24 hours.
Then, coffee travels through washing channels to ensure all the pulp is removed and goes through one final overnight soak before being spread out on raised drying tables where it stays for 7-15 days, depending on climate, ambient temperature and the amount of coffee being processed.
Kenya’s coffee production is made up of smallholder coffee farms, large estates and small estates. There are over 700,000 smallholders who make up about 55% of the Kenya’s production.
Smallholders are organized in to cooperative societies, which act as umbrella organisations for the factories (also known as wetmills) where these producers deliver their coffee crops for processing.
There can be several factories in an area which farmers are free to choose to deliver their cherry. Due to the traditional auction system in Kenya, quality is rewarded with higher prices, with better factories attract more farmers by producing coffee that fetches the highest prices, which then delivery higher returns to the farmers.
Like all farmed crops, coffee plants are affected by seasons and most countries have specific harvest periods where workers will travel through coffee regions picking coffee by hand. This seasonality means you’ll see different countries come and go from cafes through the year, and it’s also the reason coffee blends change through the year as fresh crops arrive.
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.
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Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach
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.
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.
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Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach
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.
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Our recommended brewing window
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:
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
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Our packaging
Released in 1985, Ruiru 11 is a disease resistant varietal developed in Kenya
SL28 was developed in 1931 by Scott Laboratories to suit the growing conditions in Kenya. The varietal is known for its exceptional cup quality
Developed by Scott Laboratories in Kenya, the SL34 varietal was designed to be high yielding with good cup quality.
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.
Central region home to Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano that produces rich, red soil. Most commonly smallholder cooperatives. Coffee trees in this region produce two crops (the main harvest producing the higher quality lots)
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.
Discover a new single origin coffee from Sample every 1-5 weeks with no delivery fees.
No up-front purchase, and you can pause, cancel, or change plans at any time.
Flavours of orange, raisin, Ribena
Body Acidity
Washed Batian, SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11
Roasted omni for filter and espresso
Kenya Kii onlineFlavours of strawberry, toffee, blackcurrant
Body Acidity
Washed Pink Bourbon
Roasted omni for filter and espresso
Colombia Clinton Ossa onlineFlavours of mandarin, white peach, mango
Body Acidity
Washed Ethiopian Heirloom
November 2024 harvest
Roasted omni for filter and espresso
Ethiopia Bekele Gemeda onlineFlavours of tropical punch, tawny port, pink grapefruit
Body Acidity
Black diamond natural Orange Bourbon
April 2025 harvest
Roasted omni for filter and espresso
Costa Rica Los Pinitos Black Diamond Natural online