Espresso - Gatuya AA, Washed Kenya

Nestled on the western slopes of the Aberdare Mountains, Muranga County boasts a landscape painted in lush greens, where the soil is rich and red with a climate that is cooler than most of Kenya. With 80% of the population depending on agriculture, many coffee farmers manage plots smaller than a hectare.

Murarandia Factory was founded in 1997 and operates under the stewardship of the New Murarandia Farmers Cooperative Society (FCS), a collective of over 650 dedicated members who bring their coffee cherries to the station. This cooperative also oversees the renowned Gatuya Factory. Together, these facilities represent the backbone of the community's coffee production. The Gatuya Coffee Factory boasts around 3,500 smallholder producer members. Murandia also provides training to farmers in improved pruning, cultivation and harvesting methods, helping farmers optimise production for quality and productivity.

Microlots from Kenya are traceable to either the factory level or individual farm level, and are selected basis cup score. Because the majority of coffee farmers in Kenya own between 1/8–1/4 a hectare of land, most deliver coffee in cherry form to a local factory for sorting and processing. At the factory, these cherries are blended into day lots, representing the collective day's harvest.

Following fermentation, coffee is washed clean water and soaked for 12 hours. The parchment is then spread out on raised beds to dry.  Workers rake parchment frequently to ensure even drying. They cover drying parchment during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter parchment from moisture. It takes approximately 14 to 18 days for parchment to dry.