Kenya Kaganda Factory

This remarkably full bodied washed Kenyan is bursting with caramel, dark chocolate, and green apple flavor at light to medium. Bright acidity dominates at lighter roasts, overtaken by chocolate and caramelized sugar notes approaching medium.

Murang’a County, in central Kenya, where Kaganda Factory is based, relies heavily on agriculture for both economic activity and daily sustenance. The main products produced here are coffee, tea, milk, fish, honey, maize, and beans. The factory, founded in 1970, is part of the Kaganda Farmers’ Cooperative Society and serves 1,100 members across the Gathiru, Gathaithi, Gathambara, Gatuongo, and Kagaa villages.

Kenyan green coffee beans are renowned for their bold, fruit-forward flavors and complex acidity. This coffee was grown in red volcanic soil at 1,750 to 1,850 masl, slowly ripening at high altitudes in cool temperatures. The dominant varieties are Kenya’s signature SL-28 and SL-34. Both were developed by Scott Agricultural Laboratories (hence, SL) in the 1930s for their drought resistance, exceptional cup quality, and high yield at elevated altitudes. Following a coffee berry disease (CBD) epidemic in 1968, the CBD-resistant Ruiru-11 varietal was introduced and quickly adopted nationwide.