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HIGH AND DRY IN KENYA

We’ve been buying top quality Kenyan coffee for many years, and our coffee buyers love it for its vibrant citrus characteristics, with hints of lemon, blackcurrant and honeyed fruits. It’s the liveliness of Kenyan beans that makes our classic Café Imperial blend perfect for enjoying in the afternoon with a piece of cake, and it brings a welcome sweetness to the intensity of our Espresso. It’s an important area for us so every trip out there is crucial.

Here’s what our coffee buyer Rick had to say about his recent visit:

"No other coffee tastes quite like Kenyan. The altitude of the highlands near the Rift Valley combine with that distinctive brilliant orange soil and the region’s various microclimates to make it one of the best places in the world for growing quality coffee.

Visiting the farms to talk face to face is crucial in maintaining the relationships we’ve worked hard to build together over many years. It was very encouraging to meet up with people like Charles Muriuki from the Gikanda cooperative, where I was heartened to see some friendly faces.

All in all the coffee farmers of Kenya face some pretty hefty challenges, with a fall in production due primarily to a terrible drought, but also to increased farming costs such as fuel and fertiliser. This trip gave us a much-needed chance to fully understand those issues and to see where improvements can be made.

Many changes are already underway, such as replacing the old wooden drying tables with sturdy steel ones at the Ndumberi and Rumukia cooperatives. I also saw encouraging results from Farmer Support Programs, which are helping farmers increase their productivity by focussing on techniques such as pruning and compost making.

As well as visiting our established farmers, this was an opportunity to explore potential partnerships with new farms too. Up in the Mount Kenya highlands I visited Jungle Estate, which is certified by both Utz and the Rainforest Alliance. My colleague Mike had visited this estate last year and I too found them to be of a high calibre. In fact, through them we have since made contact with two more Rainforest Alliance certified estates, which is a very encouraging development."