Thunguri washing station, situated in Kirinyaga – near the slopes of Mount Kenya, is part of Kibirigwi Co-operative. Currently, it serves 1700 members who are largely small-scale farmers who grow other cash crops such as tea and macadamia – coupled with subsistence food crops such as maize and bananas.
The farmers of Thunguri are very particular about their agro practices, knowing too well that the price of their coffee is dependent on the collective effort made during the year.
The coffee is handpicked and delivered to the washing station for pulping. During this stage, attention is only paid to the well-developed ripe cherries to maximize quality. Further effort is put into the pulping process, subsequent fermentation, and drying process.
The coffee is further subjected to conditioning bins, made of wire mesh all around, to ensure the beans get enough rest.
