Kenya Gakui AA Origin: Kenya Region. Processing station:Gakui Coffee Factory Production altitude: 1800 m Processing: washed Classification: specialty Variety:Ruiru 11 - SL28 - SL34 -Batian Aroma and flavour: Chocolate, caramel, honey, stone fruit with floral notes. Score: 88 points The Gakui Coffee Factory was built in 1996 and is located at an altitude of about 1,800 metres above sea level on the slopes of Mount Kenya. It is associated with the Gakundu FCS. This cooperative has recently acquired computers with internet access to provide market data to members and greatly speed up the processing of payments to farmers. An additional benefit of the cooperative is access to agricultural inputs and agronomists who can advise on how to maximize production. Gakui is located in the town of Kamviu in Embu County, in the Ngandori East sub-region, at the foothills of Mount Kenya, east of Nyeri County. The factory is part of the Gakundu Farmers' Cooperative Society, which consists of a total of four factories (wet mills). The Gakui Coffee Factory experiences moderate bimodal rainfall and temperatures range between 13 and 24 °C throughout the year. The region has deep, fertile, well-drained red volcanic soils that are ideal for coffee cultivation. With funds set aside from the previous year's harvest, cooperative members can access pre-financing for school expenses, agricultural inputs and emergency needs. The factory receives assistance from an on-site partner, Coffee Management Services (CMS). The long-term goal is to increase coffee production by training farmers, providing easy access to inputs, seminars on good agricultural practices and the latest printed materials on sustainable agriculture. By paying farmers the highest yield for their coffee, this goal becomes even more achievable. In keeping with the growing awareness of environmental conservation, the factory has dug sewage infiltration pits away from the water source and currently does not treat wastewater. In addition, the company encourages its members to plant trees on their farms. The Gakui Coffee Factory is managed by a factory manager (Fredrick Mbogo) who oversees all activities within the factory and, together with other staff, performs tasks such as weighing coffee, sorting and grading coffee, paying and contacting farmers, and handling complaints. The factory currently offers farmers agricultural inputs as an incentive through credit and cash advances. Processing: At the Gakui factory, the coffee cherries are washed and pulped. The dense beans are first separated from the unripe "mbuni" (floating) beans by water flotation, which means that the denser beans sink and are sent through channels to the fermentation tank. This first fermentation phase lasts for about 24 hours, after which the beans are washed and sent to the secondary fermentation tank for a further 12 to 24 hours. Once the fermentation process is complete, the beans enter the washing channels, where the floating beans are further separated and the dense beans are cleaned of mucilage. The soaked grains can remain in clean water for another 24 hours. This soaking process allows the amino acids and proteins from the cellular structure of each bean to penetrate, resulting in higher acidity and complex fruit flavours in the cup. This steeping process is believed to contribute to the famous flavour profile of Kenyan coffee. The Gakui factory has built a number of infiltration tanks to treat the water used during processing, in order to preserve the quality of local streams. The beans are placed on the initial drying tables where they are spread out in thin layers to quickly remove about 50% of moisture. This initial drying phase can last for about 6 hours, after which the beans are collected and spread out in thicker layers for another 5-10 hours until they reach their desired moisture content.