Kenya Gatomboya AB

Gatomboya Factory is one of the four washing stations in the Barichu Farmers Cooperative Society, processing coffee from around 950 smallholder farmers that grow their coffee on rich volcanic red soil in the area of Karatina town in Nyeri county. 

During harvest season, farmers selectively handpick the ripest cherries, which are then delivered directly to the mill on the day of picking.  Cherries are stringently hand sorted prior to pulping, with damaged and under-ripe cherries being separated out from the red ripe lots. Cherries are pulped, fermented, washed and sun dried at the factory and subsequently graded before reaching the weekly auctions in Nairobi.

Barichu FCS is known for its good and fair management practices. It takes good care of its member produces and their communities. The society built a coffee shop on the factory grounds that services travelers on the nearby road. The income from the shop helps lower the overhead costs for the management of the cooperative and its factories.