Kirinyaga County to set up mill to package ‘world class’ coffee

Kirinyaga Governor Ann Waiguru has announced plans to set up a coffee mill in the county.

The governor’s announcement came moments after a Kirinyaga-based miller, Kabara Coffee Cooperative Society, attained international recognition after it was ranked fourth globally in the line-up of best coffee.

Guama coffee factory in Baragwe, Kirinyaga County, was ranked 25th out of 30, helping put the county’s coffee among the world’sbest.

The ranking was carried out this week by The Coffee Review, an online publication that analyses quality of coffee beans world over. Ms Waiguru said the rankings will help promote the county’s coffee in the world markets.

“We want international coffee buyers to come for the commodity right here in our county. We promise them a premium product ready for consumption,” she said.

Higher earnings

Waiguru said she has passion for the cash crop, and she will help coffee farmers reap huge benefits by eliminating brokers and middlemen.

She also pledged to create jobs for the county’s youth in the coffee sector, right from the production stage to its value addition.

News of the ranking pleased the farmers as it means higher earnings for their produce.

Society Chairman Solomon Mureu said they worked hard to attain top position by helping help farmers produce coffee that meet the qualities required at the world market.

“When my team took over the running of this society some seven years ago, production had dropped to a meagre 200,000kgs of cherry. Today, we produce three million kilograms of the crop,” Mr Mureu said.

The society also formed a field committee whose main task is to reach out to farmers through field days and seminars on premium coffee production.

“We engage county government extension officers who visit farmers,” he said.

At Baragwe Coffee Cooperative Society, manager Simon Githae said production has risen from 6.5 million kilograms of cherry in 2015 to 10 million last year.

“During the 2015/16 cycle, coffee farmers within our society received the highest payment for their crop at Sh 104.35 per kg. This was the highest ever in the coffee sector in the entire country,” Mr Githae said.