We always look forward to coffees from Kenya and this season we have an interesting offering from the Karani Factory, situated in the foothills of Mount Kenya. We often associate coffee from Kenya with tropical or blackcurrant flavours so it is always interesting to buy a coffee which breaks the mould. You can expect flavours of molasses, chocolate and cherry in this coffee.

Mills in Kenya are known as factories. The Karani Factory was built in 1998 when it also opened its doors for processing. Collectively, the 600 members of the Factory grow coffee on 134,000 trees, producing around 455 MT of cherries each year.

Harvest generally occurs amongst the cooperative members between October and December. In some cases, early crop can be harvested between April and July.

The coffee trees are carefully monitored and picking ensues only when the cherry is at the ideal level of ripeness. Picking occurs in the morning and buckets of bright red coffee cherries are carried to the mill. As the sun traverses across the sky into the afternoon, the cherries are piled high as underripe cherries and foreign objects are removed from the gleaming pile. The cherries are then poured into a hopper located just above the pulping station.

From here, clean water from the River Ragati is drawn upwards and directed into the hopper to cover the coffee cherries. This force pushes the cherries down a chute into the pulping house. Here, the outer pulp is removed thanks to the work of two rotating abrasive slabs. The de-pulped coffee is then moved via the force of a water channel towards a fermentation tank. Along the way, floaters, or lower quality coffee beans, are removed to ensure only the highest quality continue along the process. The denser beans are funnelled through a hole where they land into a fermentation tank to rest for the evening.

The following morning, workers assess the feel of the sticky mucilage remaining on the coffee. If it has reached the ideal level, water is placed over the beans to give them a final wash. From here, sluice gates open to move the coffee into washing channels where the coffee slides down a gently sloping tiled channel. Wooden shunts used by workers are manually placed into the coffee to separate the denser beans from the lighter beans.

From here, the coffee is evenly dispersed onto raised tables, under careful surveillance. If it is too sunny, or rain is in the forecast, the parchment is carefully covered. Moisture is regulated until the target of 10-12% is reached. The parchment is bagged up and transported to the dry mill.

Karani AB

Carvetii are specialty coffee roasters committed to supplying high quality coffee to Cumbria and beyond.

Carvetii Coffee have been supplying Cumbria and the UK with the most amazing specialty coffee since 2011. We have developed a strong reputation for the quality of our products and our commitment to the very best customer service. Today we continue to roast only the very best coffee and have expanded our products to include our own range of teas and hot chocolates. We supply espresso machines to both commercial and domestic customers and have our own servicing department to provide excellent and prompt after sales support. Our commitment to staff training is unparalleled and we are licensed to deliver the Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Skills Programme. We also run a range of home barista courses from our premises. Winner of the CN Group New Business of the Year Award 2013 Top 5 Micro Roaster in the UK according to Caffeine Magazine Best Small Producer 2015 (Cumbria Life Food & Drink Awards) Best Drinks Producer 2018 (Cumbria Life Food & Drink Awards) Shortlisted finalist for the Great British Food Awards 2020

Karani AB

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Karani AB

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