Konyu AB is sourced from small family-owned farms delivering their cherries to the Konyu factory, part of the Kabare Farmers’ Cooperative Society in Kirinyaga, on the fertile southern slopes of Mount Kenya. The area is lush and densely vegetated, with coffee growing on sloping hillsides at around 1,900–2,000 meters above sea level in deep red volcanic soils rich in organic matter. Reliable, bimodal rainfall and the cool high-altitude climate create an ideal environment for slow, even cherry maturation and the vibrant, layered flavour profiles Kirinyaga is known for.

The name Konyu comes from a natural spring that rises just behind the factory, locally famed for its exceptionally clean mineral water. Together with the Thiba river, which runs around the factory’s perimeter, this spring provides abundant fresh water for processing. Konyu belongs to a broader network of ten wet mills managed by Kabare, including Kimandi, Karinga, Karani, Kiangombe, Kaboyo Mukure, Mukengeria, Kathata, Kiangothe and Kiamiciri. Across these factories, thousands of cooperative members deliver their harvests during the main crop from October to December and the fly crop from May to July, reflecting a deeply rooted community of smallholders dedicated to quality.

Around 1,400 farmers are currently affiliated with Konyu and deliver their cherries to the cooperative. On their small plots they predominantly grow the classic Kenyan SL28 and SL34 cultivars, complemented by Ruiru 11 and Batian. This mix of varieties, combined with the altitude and soil, underpins the coffee’s characteristic clarity and structure. Thanks to the consistently high cup quality in recent years, the cooperative’s members have been able to secure comparatively strong returns for their coffee, which in turn supports household incomes and future investment on the farms.

At the factory, cherries are handpicked only when fully ripe, then carefully sorted before pulping. Fermentation takes place in a series of 22 concrete tanks; unlike some Kenyan sites that use two rows, Konyu completes the full fermentation process in a single row of relatively shallow tanks, about one meter deep. Depending on ambient temperature, the coffee ferments for around 16 hours before being washed in clean mountain-fed water, graded in channels and then transferred to raised drying tables. Here the parchment is dried in the sun for 14–21 days, with regular turning and sorting to ensure even drying and preserve the coffee’s brightness and aromatics.

This coffee was sourced through our importing partner Falcon Coffees