Othaya Farmer Cooperative: A Deep Dive into Kenya’s Coffee Tradition

When you drink a cup of high-quality Kenyan coffee, you're not just tasting a rich, complex profile — you're also experiencing the hard work and dedication of smallholder farmers like those at the Othaya Farmer Cooperative Society. This cooperative is a proud member of Kenya Cooperative Coffee Exporters (KCCE), an influential organization representing nearly 4,000 individual coffee cooperatives across the country.

Formed in 2009, KCCE was created with the goal of streamlining coffee marketing and exporting by cutting out the middleman. Instead of relying on third-party contractors, KCCE cooperatives manage these operations together, making sure that farmers receive fair prices for their crops while also promoting sustainable farming practices.

Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society Limited is situated about 150km north of Kenya's capital, Nairobi in Othaya Town, Nyeri County. Othaya is located between Mountain Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges, at an altitude of 1828 meters (approximately 6000 feet) above sea level. The Society was registered in 1956 as a coffee marketing society with an initial membership of 250 farmers. The Society has grown to include 17 factories with a total membership of 11,000 small scale farmers. 

The Society has coffee nurseries for coffee seedlings, 17 coffee factories/wet mills and store outlets in each of the wet mills for provision of farm inputs. The Society also has a dry mill that serves the coffee factories through finance raised by selling shares to the members.

The Society is Fair-Trade certified, which is helping in penetrating the world's markets, and as a result benefiting the community more. The community in this region relies on agriculture as the main source of livelihood. The ground coffee has also acquired Kenya bureau if Standards certification (KEBS) ensuring high quality and consistency of the product. The members of Othaya Farmers Co-operative Society Limited care about the community. The activities the society is involved in include visiting the children’s homes and offering assistance to the needy, construction of footbridges. In partnership with Tree House and Aga Khan Hospital, we have held free medical screening camps for the community.

One of the key members of KCCE is the Gatugi Factory, which has about 500 active members who grow and harvest coffee to be processed at the factory. The factory’s processing method is a great example of Kenya’s meticulous approach to coffee production.

The Art of Processing at Gatugi

Gatugi’s coffee is processed using a method called Gauge, which involves a precise fermentation process. Once the ripe coffee cherries are delivered to the factory, they undergo fermentation for about 27 to 35 hours, depending on the ambient conditions. This fermentation process is critical for developing the coffee’s complex flavors. After fermentation, the parchment coffee is thoroughly rinsed to remove any residual mucilage. The coffee is then soaked in clean water for another 12 hours to further refine its flavor profile.

Next, the parchment is sorted by density, with the denser beans being separated out for their superior quality. This step is followed by careful hand sorting on drying tables, where the coffee beans are spread out to dry for up to two weeks under the Kenyan sun. The long drying time helps bring out the best flavors in the coffee, ensuring consistency in quality.

Once the coffee is fully dried, it's stored on-site at Gatugi before being sent to the Othaya dry mill for further grading. The beans are sorted by grade (or size), a process that has been a part of Kenya's coffee culture for generations. This meticulous sorting and grading helps create a variety of profiles from a single batch of coffee, giving roasters a lot of flexibility when it comes to crafting the perfect roast.

The Scale of Production

At Gatugi, the average farmer tends to enough coffee plants to produce roughly two 60-kg bags of exportable green coffee. With 500 active members, this cooperative harvests an impressive total of around 323,000 kilograms of coffee each season — a clear testament to the dedication of its farmers.

The work done at the Gatugi Factory and throughout the Othaya Farmer Cooperative is a prime example of Kenya’s long-standing coffee traditions. By combining careful processing with a focus on quality and consistency, cooperatives like Gatugi are helping to ensure that Kenyan coffee continues to be one of the most sought-after coffees in the world.

So, the next time you enjoy a cup of Kenyan coffee, you’ll know that you're sipping a product that's been crafted with care, tradition, and a deep commitment to quality — all the way from farm to cup.