Karie, Kenya Microlot #2

Farm: Rutuma Co-op (processed at the Karie Wet Mill, pictured above)
No. Farmers: 836 (723 active)
Average Farm Size: 1.0 acre (300 trees per farm)
Region: Mathira West District
Altitude: 1600-1700 MSL
Processing: Hand picked, fully washed and sun dried
Certifications: Undertaking Utz certification
Main Harvest: February, March, April
Fly Crop: September, October, November

Timely and selective hand picking is carried out in Karie wet mill (pictured above).  The cherries are delivered to the wet mill the same day they are picked.  Cherry sorting is carried out at the wet mill prior to the pulping.  Red ripe cheries are separated from underipes, overipes and foreign matter.  Processing utilizes clean river water (wet processing) that is recirculated before disposal.  Sun drying is done before delivery of the coffee to the dry mill for secondary processing.  Currently the wet mill is partnering with Sustainable Mgt Services ltd and Hivos in a quality improvement project and undergoing the UTZ (Sustainability) Certification.

The Rutuma Co-op has 7 wet mills:  Ruthagati, Ngandu, Kianjogu, Karie, Marua, Githima and Ndurutu.  The coop is located at Mathira division-Mathira West District. Geographically it lies on the slopes of Mt.Kenya.  The society was registered under the cooperative societies act on the 10th January 1951.  Formerly, these 7 wet mills belonged to the former Giant Mathira FCS but after the split they formed Rutuma FCS.

The Coop is managed by an elected board of 7 Members each elected from each of the 7 wet mills (pictured above, along with representatives from SMS and our own Jess Steffy!).  Karie wet mill has 1 board member (he’s to the right of Jess, holding a bag of the Karie Microlot roasted by Square One Coffee).  Rutuma has 3 supervisory committee members.  Currently the Coop has 39 permanent members of staff who are headed by a Secretary Manager (pictured above, she snuck into the shot right behind Jess at the last minute!  Jess promises she didn’t intentionally hog the camera.  No diva here!).  The Secretary Manager oversees the day to day running of the Coop under the supervision of the board.  Karie has 836 registered members (723 are active).

Amongst the 836 members are 16 promoter farmers, 1 internal auditor and 1 gender rep who are trained by SMS agronomists who eventually train farmers at zonal levels on Good Agricultural practices (GAPS).  Above, is a picture of Richard Kimondo, a promoter farmer who sends his coffee to the Karie Wet Mill.  Coffee farming is a tradition in Richard’s family, a tradition that he has proudly carried on.  He has been recognized as an expert and an award-winning promoter farmer.  Below, is a beautiful example of a well-tended coffee tree on Richard’s farm (2-4 weeks before harvest).

The current production as of 2010/2011 was 220,000 Kg Cherries. The expected production for next season is 350,000 kg cherries. The quality of Karie coffee is very distinct with a pleasant acidic cup that is characteristic of well grown and washed Kenya Arabica coffee.

Cupping Notes:
Complex. Nuances of Meyer lemon and sweet, juicy tomato. As it cools, hints of black currant and dark chocolate emerge. It has a creamy body and a long, smooth finish.

(This coffee is currently SOLD OUT.)