FUGLEN Coffee AB KAGUYU / KENYA

This coffee is produced by the Kaguyu factory run by the Inoy Agricultural Cooperative.

The Kaguyu Coffee Factory is located in the Northern Inoy Kaguyu District of Kirinyaga District, 1,400 meters above sea level. Kirinyaga County is located approximately 192 kilometres northeast of Nairobi and borders the famous Nyeri and Embu counties. The region’s mineral-rich red volcanic loam and unique highland environment create perfect conditions for coffee cultivation.

Factory Manager Wilson Wanjohi and his staff are responsible for the operations of the Kaguyu Coffee Factory. We manage a wide range of operations including weighing, sorting and grading coffee, paying farmers and even responding to farmers’ requests.

AB Kaguyu has a refreshing tartness reminiscent of fresh citrus fruits, which then transitions to flavors reminiscent of stone fruits such as apricots and light berries. The scent that hits your nose is sweet and flowery, like an herbal tea blended with dried berries and flowers. You can feel the rich, deep, brown sugar-like sweetness from the mid-palate to the long finish. A bright coffee with a smooth taste that fills your mouth with flavor.

Most coffee in Kenya is processed using a method called washed refining.

The harvested coffee cherries are carefully hand-picked and delivered directly to the wet mill or collection point. There, unripe beans and damaged cherries are placed on sorting mats or tables, measured for weight, and begin the cleaning and refining process.

First, the coffee cherries are placed in a water tank and the unripe cherries floating in the water are removed. A disk pulper is then used to remove the pulp and form the parchment (the film that protects the green beans). After the pulp is removed, the water is sorted to separate the dense, high-quality beans from the lighter, lower-quality beans.

Next, an overnight dry fermentation takes place to break down and wash off the sugars (slime) that cling to the surface of the parchment. We also do classification in waterways. The heavier the beans that sink to the bottom of the waterway, the higher the quality and the sweeter the beans. Then soak in clean water for 24 hours. The process is said to fortify proteins and amino acids, creating complex acidity and a clear flavor.

After steeping, the coffee is spread out on raised drying tables (also known as African beds) and stirred regularly to ensure even drying. At this time, if we find defective beans, we will remove them. Time on the drying table varies depending on climate, temperature and processing volume and may take from 1 to 3 weeks to reach the target moisture content of 11-12%.

Farmers often have multiple facilities in their area, so they have the freedom to choose where to ship their cherries. In Kenya's traditional auction system, quality is of the utmost importance, with higher quality coffee commanding higher prices. Factories producing high-quality coffee are gaining more support from farmers because they can receive up to 90% of sales as a second payment after marketing and preparation costs.

A hallmark of the Kenyan system is its high degree of transparency. All batches are divided into smaller lots, each with a different assortment. Farmers know exactly how much of their sales goes back to the cooperative after processing costs. Many cooperatives and factories compete for the rate of return to farmers, with some facilities returning up to 90 percent of sales. "