Kenya AB Mercy Estate (2019 Crop)

Mercy Estate is owned and operated by Edward Mungai Ngugi. It is a 28 acre farm which includes other crops and dairy cows, as well as coffee. Mercy Estate is situated at 1,700masl and cultivates the varieties of SL28 and Ruiru 11

THE PROCESS

Staff selectively pick ripe coffee cherries and bring them to the central factory where they are hand-sorted before being pulped. The coffee is then fermented for 12-36 hours depending on ambient conditions, after which it is thoroughly washed with clean water in grading channels to remove the remaining fruity mucilage. The coffee is then dried in the sun on raised beds for around 14 days, after which it is rested prior to hulling.

THE REGION

Kiambu County is neighbouring Nairobi, and has a long history in coffee. The plantation or large estate sector sprung out of here in the early 1900s during the colonial period and in the years up to independence. As well as this, smallholder farmers that had the know-how from working with the larger farms planted their own coffee trees. The growth of Nairobi has spurred a rapid growth in real estate in Kiambu, with many of the older large estates having been or will be converted to real estate projects for new housing developments.