Country: Kenya
Cooperative: Thiririka Farmers Cooperative Society
Factory: Githembe Factory
Producers: ~1,500 surrounding smallholder farmers
Region: Kiambu
Varieties: SL28, SL34, Batian
Process: Washed
Altitude: 1600–1800 m a.s.l.
Harvest: 2024–2025

Githembe Coffee Factory, located in Kiambu County just north of Nairobi, is one of three wet mills operated by the Thiririka Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), alongside Kiganjo and Ndunyu factories. Established in 1969, Githembe has long supported local coffee production in this fertile highland region.

At 1,600–1,800 meters above sea level, approximately 1,500 active smallholders cultivate coffee for the factory. Thiririka FCS has around 2,400 registered members including smallholder farmers, board members, the factory manager, and staff, with 1,500 currently active.

The current factory manager has over 15 years of experience, having previously managed Ndunyu Factory. The coffee grown here consists of Kenya’s traditional varieties SL28 and SL34, along with Batian, all propagated from Coffee Research Institute (CRI) certified seeds. The factory is certified by CAFÉ and FLO.

The region’s coffee thrives in red volcanic loam soil under optimal conditions: an average temperature of 20.5°C and about 1,400 mm of annual rainfall. Thiririka FCS provides agronomic training and inputs to its members, offering guidance on pruning schedules and fertilizer application to maintain quality.

Harvest and Processing

Kenya has two harvest seasons: the main crop from October to December and the fly crop from May to July. We always purchase from the main crop. Main crop flowering occurs from February to March, with coffee ready for purchase from January to April the following year.

Farmers handpick fully ripe cherries and deliver them to the factory. Upon arrival, cherries are spread out on sorting sheets and carefully hand-sorted to meet factory standards under the supervision of the reception staff.

Githembe processes its coffee as fully washed. Only the properly ripened cherries are fed into the pulper, which removes the skin and pulp, leaving the parchment coffee.

At this stage, the parchment is coated in mucilage—a sticky layer of natural sugars and alcohols that greatly influences the coffee’s sweetness, acidity, and overall flavor.

The mucilage-covered parchment is dry-fermented for 16–24 hours in tanks without water, allowing natural microbes from the cherries and environment to break down the mucilage. After fermentation, the parchment is transferred to soaking tanks filled with clean water from the Thiririka River for 16–18 hours.

The coffee is then graded into P1, P2, P3, P-light, and pods, with P1 receiving an additional soak before drying.

Due to security concerns over the past three years, parchment drying is currently done at Kiganjo Factory. Coffee theft has become more common, so centralizing drying improves security and traceability within the FCS.

Freshly processed parchment (at about 50% moisture) is first placed on skin-drying beds for 6–24 hours until it reaches around 20% moisture. It is then moved to raised African beds, where slow drying continues for up to 21 days. The parchment is protected from intense sun and overnight moisture with covers, and drying typically takes 7–14 days.

The Thiririka FCS, named after the local Thiririka River, consistently produces high-quality washed coffees through careful and standardized processing.