Rurima Estate AA
Rich and sugary. Grilled grapefruit, plum and cherry cola, with a lingering finish.
Rurima is an fifteen-hectare estate and family-operated cooperative located in Embu County, managed by Lucy Wanja Ndogo (pictured above). The property sits at 1,800 meters above sea level in the foothills of the extinct volcano, Mt Kenya, close to the town of Manyatta and the Kapingazi river. 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 grandfather, Rurima, in the 1960s. Over time, the land has been parcelled and passed on to various extended family member, including Lucy herself, Jim Muturi, Pamela Muthoni, Morton Ndwiga and Patrick Njue. The siblings each own individual parcels (or shambas), which are located up to three kilometres from the property’s homestead. The estate runs like a cooperative, with family members delivering their cherry to the wet mill during the harvest, and close record keeping to ensure earnings from the sale of the processed coffee are distributed fairly.
In the 1980s, the family built a wet mill – or factory, as they are called in Kenya – on their land, enabling them to process and dry their crop onsite, rather than selling fresh, whole cherry to the local Farmers’ Society Cooperative. The factory is carefully overseen by Lucy, who manages day-to-day operations during the busy harvest season. By processing the coffee independently, the family are able to control every step of their 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 their 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 Rurima is now produces some exceptionally high-quality lots which can fetch higher prices at the point of sale.
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’s family members, 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 the nearby Kapingazi river, 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?
Rurima means “hill or mountain,” and is the name of Lucy’s grandfather, who founded the original property.
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 sugary sweetness and notes of plum and cola. This is our first year of purchasing coffee from Rurima, a new relationship for MCM since 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.
