Region: Kirinyaga

Flavour notes: blackberry, rhubarb, mandarin

Variety: SL28, SL34, Batian

Altitude: 1620m

Kenya’s coffee industry is structured around a cooperative system, where members vote on key decisions related to marketing, milling, and profit allocation. Guama is one of twelve factories within the Baragwi Cooperative Society, and despite challenges like delayed payments and multiple intermediary costs cutting into profits, farmers here still benefit from the competitive pricing of their exceptional coffees. While most farmers also rely on other forms of income, the high quality of Kirinyaga coffee ensures that even smallholders with a few hundred trees maintain a stable, middle-class lifestyle through their coffee production. This blend of smallholder dedication, high elevation, and fertile volcanic soils combines to create some of the most beloved coffees in Kenya, a testament to the region’s unique terroir and the resilience of its farming communities.

Coffee cherries are carefully handpicked when ripe and delivered to the factory on the same day for processing. The fully washed process begins with pulping and a 24-hour dry fermentation period, followed by a thorough washing and soaking in clean water. The coffee is then dried meticulously under shade, ensuring an even process that prevents the parchment from cracking. Water for the washing process is sourced from the nearby Ruthagati dam, which also supports the surrounding community and their cattle.

Neon Coffee Roasters is a small-batch specialty coffee company based in British Columbia, Canada. They source their beans from around the world, prioritizing transparency in every step of the process. They roast all their beans locally at their site in Kelowna to supply their ethical, local, and delicious offerings to customers.