Description
Gakui
On the green slopes of Mount Kenya, the Gakui coffee factory is located.
Built in 1996, this coffee cooperative has recently acquired computers with Internet access, enabling them to provide their members with market data and speed up the processing of payments to farmers.
Thanks to these technological advances, Gakui has been able to gain access to agro-inputs and to have the help of agronomists who advise them on how to maximize their production.
In the midst of an imposing mountainous landscape, Gakui is always seeking to improve and offer the best coffee to its clients. The Gakui coffee factory is a place where the aroma of coffee mingles with the fresh breeze from the mountains.
Under the wise guidance of its factory manager, the cooperative’s staff is engaged in tasks such as weighing and grading coffee, paying farmers and addressing their complaints.
In addition, the factory offers incentives such as agricultural inputs on credit and cash advances to farmers.
This cooperative is a place where technology combines with tradition to produce high quality coffee.
The region where Gakui is located has a temperate climate, with a moderate bimodal rainfall and temperatures ranging between 13 and 24 degrees Celsius (55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit).
The red volcanic soil is ideal for growing the cooperative’s main coffee varieties, such as SL28, Batian, SL34 and Ruiru 11.
At Gakui, coffee production is an art that is carried out with passion and dedication, and the end result is delicious, high quality coffee.
Process
At the Gakui factory, each coffee bean is treated with the care and respect it deserves.
The coffee cherry is washed and pulped to separate the dense beans from the immature “mbuni” (floating) beans by flotation with water.
The denser beans sink and are sent through channels to the fermentation tank, where the first phase of fermentation begins and lasts about 24 hours.
Once finished, the grains are washed again and sent to the secondary fermentation tank where they remain for another 12-24 hours.
Each stage of the process at Gakui is designed to obtain the best coffee flavor.
From the careful selection of the cherries to the controlled fermentation, each step is important to produce a high quality coffee.
Once the fermentation process is complete, the coffee beans enter the washing channels of the Gakui factory.
Here, the floating beans are further separated and the dense beans are cleaned of the mucilage that covers them.
The washed beans are then transferred to soaking tanks where they remain submerged in clean water for another 24 hours.
This steeping process allows the amino acids and proteins in the cellular structure of each bean to develop, resulting in higher levels of acid in the coffee, which translates into more intense acidity and fruity flavors in the cup.
This process is believed to contribute to the distinctive flavor profiles of Kenyan coffees.
The Gakui factory has built numerous filtration tanks to treat the water used in processing to preserve the quality of the local streams.
The beans are transferred to the initial drying tables, where they are placed in a thin layer to allow about 50% of the moisture to be quickly removed.
This first stage of drying can last about 6 hours before the beans are harvested and placed in thicker layers for the remaining 5-10 days of the drying period.
Once dried, the beans are delivered to a private mill where they are converted into parchment coffee.
The Gakui factory is a place where technology and tradition combine to produce a high quality coffee with a distinctive flavor.
Pre-financing of farmers
The cooperative’s farmers have benefited from pre-financing that has enabled them to purchase the necessary inputs to carry out their work.
With the help of Coffee Management Services, the factory has been able to offer training and access to Good Agricultural Practices seminars to improve coffee production.
In addition, the factory’s commitment to paying high yields for the coffee they produce has helped the farmers to have a brighter future.
But it is not just about improving coffee production; the factory has also demonstrated its commitment to the environment.
By digging the wastewater away from the water source, it avoids contaminating the water.
In addition, the company encourages its members to plant trees on their farms, demonstrating its concern for preserving the environment and promoting sustainability in agriculture.
It is a success story, in which prefinancing has been a crucial tool for the farmers, who, thanks to it, have been able to improve their living conditions and contribute to a better future for all.