Kenya — Embu County, Ena Coffee Factory

The Coffee

From Embu County

The Farmers

A Cooperative Coffee Tradition

Around 300 smallholder farmers grow coffee alongside other crops, including corn, beans, and tea. They are organized through the New Runyenjes Farmers Cooperative Society, which represents three local factories: Ena, Kangundu, and Nduuri.

Coffee cherries growing in Kenya’s Embu County.

The cooperative structure gives members a voice in representation, marketing and milling arrangements, and profit allocation. It also supports members with pre-harvest inputs, harvest labor, and family school-fee needs, along with guidance for managing diverse farms.

The Factory

From Fresh Cherry to Green Coffee

Ena Coffee Factory receives cherry from its farmer members during the harvest. The coffee is sorted, depulped, fermented overnight, washed, and dried on raised beds for roughly 2–3 weeks, depending on local conditions. After drying, it is conditioned before milling and grading.

Fresh cherry is sorted at the Ena Coffee Factory before processing.

Raised beds allow the washed coffee to dry gradually before milling and preparation for export.

This careful sequence helps preserve the clean, bright character associated with the lot: cherry and citrus-like notes, caramel sweetness, and a smooth finish.