Kimbo Estate AA
Intensely floral, with jasmine, lemon blossom and vanilla. Red apple and cane sugar.
Kimbo is a small, eight-hectare estate located in Embu County, owned and managed by Lucy Wanjiru and her son Christopher Munene Njiraini (pictured above). The farm sits at 1,600 meters above sea level in the foothills of the extinct volcano, Mt Kenya, close to the town of Kerugoya. The area is defined by its bright red, nutrient-rich, volcanic soil and cool climate, both of which contribute to the outstanding quality of the coffees produced on this farm.
The estate was initially purchased by Lucy’s father-in-law, Mr. Kimbo, in the 1960s. Lucy’s late husband eventually inherited the land, and decided to expand it in size by purchasing other nearby farms. Lucy took over operations after his passing, sharing duties with her son Christopher who is also a medical doctor.
At the time of planting, Mr. Kimbo chose the SL-28 variety that is commonly found in central Kenya, specifically because it produces a high-quality flavour profile. With time, the estate was also planted with a small amount of Ruiru 11 and Batian, two hardier, hybrids that are very popular among farmers for their high yields and disease resistance, and potential for high quality in the cup. The varieties are harvested and processed together, as separation is challenging to achieve during the busy harvest period.
In 2011, Lucy and her husband built a small wet mill – or factory, as they are called in Kenya – on their land. This facility enabled the couple to process and dry their crop onsite, rather than selling fresh, whole cherry to the local Farmers’ Society Cooperative. By processing her coffee independently, Lucy is able to control every step of production directly – from farming, to harvesting, processing, drying and sale – ensuring the full potential of the crop is achieved in terms of quality and sale price. The resulting coffee lot reflects the incredible amount of hard work and attention to managing every single variable that influences quality.
Choosing to process the coffee independently is not easy—or cheap. Managing processing on such a small scale has required significant investment in infrastructure, equipment and staff. It is also far costlier to mill and market small volume lots than large day lots. This investment has paid off, however, as Kimbo is now producing some exceptionally high-quality lots which fetch higher prices at the point of sale.
Lucy and Christopher are members of the Kirinyaga Arabica AA Farmer’s Group, which was founded by MCM’s long-time producing partner, Joseph Karaba of Kabumbu Estate in 2023. A meticulous and quality-focused farmer, Joseph formed the group to share resources and education and to assist his neighbouring producers in accessing a premium market for their coffees.
ABOUT EMBU
Embu County is part of Kenya’s former Eastern Province, which was dissolved in 2013. Embu borders Kirinyaga to the west, along with the country’s central coffee-growing regions. Embu is the traditional home of the Embu, Kamba and Mbeere people. This region and its surrounds are considered to be some the wealthiest areas of the country, due to the incredibly fertile land, geographical proximity to the capital, Nairobi, and close integration with the country’s colonial administration before Kenya gained independence in 1962. This integration afforded the communities who lived here with opportunities for education, business and political prowess, despite the various injustices of the colonial government. The Embu, Kamba and Mbeere people have a long and proud history of agriculture and cattle-raising, and the region is farmed intensively, with coffee, tea and dairy being the most important modern crops.
Like Lucy, many of the producers in the region are second-generation landholders, whose parents purchased and planted the land in the 1950s and 1960s, after agricultural reform allowed for small Kenyan farmers to produce cash crops on their family farms (instead of only on large, British owned estates). Farmers in Embu grow coffee as a cash crop alongside food crops like banana, maize, macadamia, avocados and vegetables. Tea and dairy are also important sources of income for the producers.
GRADING
Kenya uses a grading system for all its exportable coffee lots. The grading system is based on the size and assumed quality of the bean. A coffee’s grade is directly correlated with the price it attracts at auction or through direct trade.
This coffee is graded as an AA. This grade relates to the size (in this case, AA means that the beans are screen size 18 and above). More AA grade coffee is found in Central Kenya than anywhere else in the country, thanks to the high elevations which allow for greater late yields. These later yield cherries have the benefit of better weather, with optimum sunshine and a longer period for the sugars to develop and when they are finally picked, they are typically fuller, redder and heavier than cherries grown in other areas.
HOW THIS LOT WAS PROCESSED
The coffee was carefully handpicked by Lucy, Christopher and the rest of their family, along with any seasonal workers required. During the peak of the harvest, cherries are carefully picked, to ensure only the ripest are selected. After sorting, cherry was pulped using a pulping machine, which removes the skin and fruit from the inner parchment layer that protects the green coffee bean.
The coffee was then dry fermented for 12-24 hours, to break down the sugars and remove the mucilage (sticky fruit covering) from the outside of the beans. Whilst the coffee was fermenting it was checked frequently, and when ready it was rinsed and removed from the tanks.
Using clean water from nearby rivers, the parchment-covered coffee was then washed and graded in water channels, before being transferred to raised drying tables. During the drying stage, which takes up to three weeks, the drying parchment was turned constantly to ensure it is dried evenly, until it reached 11–12% humidity. Once ready, coffee transported to the Embu County Mill to be dry milled and prepared for shipping.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Kimbo is the name of Christopher’s grandfather, who founded the original estate.
WHY WE LOVE IT
Coffees from Embu are recognised for their bright, juicy acidity and “classic” Kenyan flavours of blackcurrant and lime. We think this lot represents the best of Embu, with its intense florals and notes of red apple and lemon blossom. This is our first year of purchasing Lucy and Christopher’s coffee, a new relationship to MCM after Kenya’s 2023 coffee reform. You can read more about the reforms here, and how we are moving forward with our Kenyan sourcing program here.
