This is our first time featuring a coffee from the Kii Factory in the Kirinyaga region of Kenya. This coffee has a silky body and a mouthwatering acidity, reminding us of yellow currants, tropical citrus, and lemon.
- Variety: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, Batian
- Country: Kenya
- Region: Kirinyaga
- Process: Washed
- Altitude: 1700-1800 MASL
- Producer: Kii Factory
- Farm: Various
- Roast Level: Light
- Roasted Date: October 5, 2026
In the cup
We taste tart and sweet fruits like yellow currants, a juicy tropical acidity, and mouthwatering citrus that reminds us of fresh lemons.
Funky
Experimental
About The Producer
The Mwirua Farmers’ Cooperative Society was established in 1954 and manages several affiliated coffee factories in the area. This cooperative represents thousands of smallholder farmers, supporting their farming communities through training, improved agronomic practices, and sustainability-focused initiatives. These efforts help strengthen farmer livelihoods, protect natural resources, and ensure the long-term viability of coffee production in Kirinyaga Country.
Variety
SL-28 is among the most well-known and well-regarded varieties of Africa. It has consequently spread from Kenya, where it was originally selected in the 1930s, to other parts of Africa (it is important in Arabica-growing regions of Uganda, in particular) and now to Latin America. The variety is suited for medium to high altitudes and shows resistance to drought, but is susceptible to the major diseases of coffee. SL-28 is notable for its rusticity—a quality meaning that it can be left untended for years or even decades at a time, and then return to successful production. There are SL-28 trees in many parts of Kenya that are 60-80 years old and still productive. A variety resistant to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease created at the Coffee Research Station (CRS; now the Coffee Research Institute, CRI) in Ruiru, Kenya. Batian was released in Kenya in 2010. Batian was created via single-tree selections from fifth filial generations from the male parent of some Ruiru 11 progenies. Batian is a composite variety, mixing three different pure line varieties.