Kenya AA Gondo

I love when Kenyan coffee has a nice berry freshness as well as a sweet aftertaste. This one has that flavor. You can find blackberry notes and a nice mouthfeel with sweetness like vanilla. Well-balanced cup.

Gondo is one of three wet mills under the New Kiriti Farmers Cooperative Society, based at the Kayu mill in Kangema District. It has 727 active members out of the cooperative’s 2,469 total. The society is managed by a seven-member board and a three-member supervisory committee, with operations led by a secretary manager and supported by 19 staff and about 25 seasonal workers. In recent years, Gondo’s coffee cherry output has ranged from 168,000 to 475,000 kg.

Harvest

Gondo sits at 1,900 meters above sea level on deep red volcanic soil. The area receives 1,200–1,400 mm of annual rainfall and experiences two rainy seasons, producing a main crop (October–February) and a fly crop (April–May). Average temperatures range from 18°C to 25°C. Farmers grow SL28, K7, Ruiru 11, and Batian on small plots of about 0.5 acres, typically with around 50 trees each.

Processing

Cherries are handpicked and delivered to the mill the same day. After sorting, they are pulped and fermented for 16–18 hours to remove mucilage. The parchment coffee is then washed, graded, and sun-dried to 10.5–11.5% moisture. Clean water from the Kananahu stream is used, with recirculation and seepage systems reducing environmental impact. Once dried, the coffee is hulled, sorted, and bagged at a dry mill before marketing by Sustainable Management Services Ltd.