Mchana

ORIGIN

Despite sharing a border with the ‘birthplace of coffee,’ Ethiopia, Kenya is a celebrated coffee producing country with a characteristic cup profile of its own – and was one of the last African countries to be introduced to coffee. The first coffee plants were brought to Kenya by Scottish and French missionaries during the 19^th century. In the 1930s, Scotch Labs selected strains from Mocha, in Yemen, to develop the famous SL28 and SL 34 cultivars that are characteristic of the exceptional coffees that this beautiful country has to offer. these two varieties are celebrated for their exceptional cup quality, bright acidity, and complex flavours.

They are also remarkably drought-tolerant, capable of surviving extended dry periods while still producing good yields. However, despite their many strengths, both SL28 and SL34 are highly susceptible to major diseases, particularly coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease. In recent years, climate change has severely affected Kenya’s traditional cultivars. Changing rainfall patterns and rising temperatures have led to increased disease pressure and lower harvests. To address these challenges, the Kenya Coffee Research Foundation introduced new, more resilient varieties: Ruiru 11 (released in 1985) and Batian (released in 2010).

Ruiru 11 offers several advantages for farmers: Strong resistance to coffee berry disease and leaf rust, significantly higher yields, and a compact growth habit that allows for denser planting. Batian is also highly resistant to pests and diseases, delivers higher yields, and produces larger beans than many other wide Kenyan varieties. Many Ruiru 11 plants in Kenya are grafted onto SL28 rootstock. Grafting is a horticultural technique in which tissues from two different plants are joined so they continue to grow together as one. Today, coffee continues to be a mainstay of Kenya’s exports to the world and is a source of livelihood for many smallholder producers.
 

PRODUCER
Mchana Estate is located in Kiambu County, Kenya. The estate has 172 active members and casual workers vary from 200 to 1,200 per day depending on the season. The largest quantity is produced during the peak harvest season. There are well-established health and safety measures that ensure workers work in a safe and healthy environment. Workers under 18 years of age are not hired. Labour allocation is free of tribal discrimination and all workers are treated equally regardless of their origins. There is a daycare that looks after small babies when their parents are at work. Children also receive nutritious, high-energy, well-balanced meals to meet their nutritional needs as theygrow. In addition, Ngewe Primary School which caters for the children of the permanent workers who live on the estate and those from outside.

Coffee cherries are harvested between 1800-2150 masl and are processed at the Mchana Estate. Typically, coffees are washed either once or or double fermented in Kenya. However, this blend of SL 28, SL 34, Riuri 11, Batian varieties been natural processed on raised African beds – resulting in a vibrant and complex cup profile
 

ROAST
Sourced through our importing partners at Kilimanjaro Coffee, we love this coffee for its intense vanilla aromatics and tartaric grapefruit acidity. Roasted lightly for filter, this coffee bursts with fruit-forward plum sweetness complemented by a jammy mouthfeel and spicy aftertaste.