Kenya Iyego PB Nº 362

This peaberry coffee comes from the Iyego factory in Murang’a County, on the slopes of Kenya’s Aberdare Mountain Range. Here, fertile red volcanic soils and warm days followed by cooler nights create ideal conditions for coffee cherries to ripen slowly and develop sweetness.

The Iyego Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS) established its first factory in 1959 with just 182 members. Today, it supports more than 1,600 registered smallholder farmers at Iyego and operates eight other factories, reaching around 10,000 farmers in total. Farmers delivering to Iyego primarily grow SL28, Ruiru 11, Batian and K7 varieties on small plots, typically around one hectare. “Peaberry” refers to a naturally occurring mutation where, instead of the usual two flat-sided beans, a coffee cherry develops a single, rounder bean. As this can’t be identified from the outside of the cherry, peaberries are separated during dry milling.

Once harvested, cherries are delivered to the factory and carefully sorted before being pulped and fermented for 12–24 hours. The coffee is then soaked in clean water for 24 hours, a traditional step that can enhance sweetness and complexity while improving clarity in the cup. Finally, the parchment is transferred to raised drying beds or solar dryers, where it is regularly turned and protected from the hottest sun and nighttime moisture. Drying takes around 7–21 days, depending on the weather, before the coffee is bagged and prepared for dry milling and export.