Ruarai Coffee Factory sits on the lower slopes of Mt Kenya in Nyeri County, where rich red volcanic soils and elevations of 1,600 to 1,800 metres provide ideal conditions for growing exceptional coffee. Managed by the Ruthaka Farmers' Cooperative Society, the factory receives cherry from around 600 smallholder farmers, most of whom cultivate approximately 250 coffee trees on half-acre farms.
Only fully ripe cherries are handpicked and delivered to the factory on the day of harvest. After careful sorting, the coffee is pulped, fermented, washed with clean water and dried slowly under the sun before being prepared for milling. Processing water is recirculated before being directed to seepage and evaporation pits, helping reduce the factory's environmental impact.
Small farm sizes allow producers to harvest selectively, ensuring only the ripest cherries reach the mill. It is this attention to detail, combined with generations of experience, that gives Ruarai coffees their renowned clarity and complexity.
