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The Story:
The Gethumbwini Estate is over 80 years old
and has been owned by the French company SOCFINAF since
1957. It is a large farm of approximately 1000 acres, with
coffee grown on approximately 360 hectares.
The farm is located in the foothills of the Aberdare Range
overlooking the Chania River about 40km north of Nairobi,
120km south of Mount Kenya and a few km north of the industrial
town of Thika. With an altitude of 1,800m (6,000 feet),
rainfall of 1,000mm per year (falling principally in two
rainy seasons), a temperature range from 15-26C throughout
the year and lots of red volcanic soil, Gethumbwini Estate
is an ideal place for the growing of fine quality coffee.
Gethumbwini coffees are processed by company-owned hulling
facilities, offering employment to some 100 full time personnel
and a further 200 seasonal workers during the picking season.
Processing is carried out by wet pulping. The coffee then
undergoes overnight fermentation before it is then washed,
soaked and then sun-dried on raised screens (or ‘African
beds’) after which it is then stored in conditioning
bins until milled.
Abundant wildlife is found on the Estate and the farm members
are educated about the importance of preserving these species
which include snakes, hares, owls, weaver birds, hawks and
– the main attraction – hippos.
Employees on the farm are provided with a number of benefits
including housing with clean drinking water and electricity.
Full medical care is also provided for both the employee
and his/her family at a clinic with a qualified nurse on
the farm. There is also a school for the workers’ children.
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