Campbell & Syme - Nguguini AA, Kenya 250g

This is our fourth Kenyan of the harvest, making it an exciting one as we have previously just worked with three lots a season. This year Falcon worked their magic, and as the earlier lots were tasting great they shipped them promptly. As a result we are happy to have Kenyans for an extended period, and hence the extra lots!

This lot steps in and brings sweet and tart lemon, balanced and refreshing with a sweet cloud like melt in your mouth richness. Once your palate moves on it is surrounded by juicy raspberry, with a lingering green tea after taste. Our most interesting Kenyan lot so far, and one we can't stop running here at the roastery on the hopper.

NGUINI FACTORY

Lot 6715 comes from Nguguini Factory in Kirinyaga County, Central Kenya, near the town of Karatina. Produced by members of Kibirigwi Farmers Cooperative Society, this AA lot reflects the classic profile associated with coffees from the slopes of Mount Kenya: structured, vibrant and deeply fruit-driven.

Nguguini Factory was established in 1958 and remains one of the long-standing wet mills in the region. It forms part of Kibirigwi FCS, one of Kirinyaga’s most established cooperative societies, which operates a network of factories across the county. Today, Nguguini serves approximately 1,200 smallholder members, who deliver selectively handpicked cherry during the main harvest season.

Farmers in the area cultivate coffee at around 1,600 to 1,800 metres above sea level. The main varieties grown include SL28, SL34 and Ruiru 11, with some Batian also present across the wider farmer base. Coffee is typically grown on small plots alongside food crops, with producers relying on long-standing knowledge of the land and traditional farm management practices.

After delivery to the factory, cherry is sorted to remove underripe, overripe or damaged fruit before pulping. The parchment is then fermented, washed through grading channels and soaked in clean water before drying on raised beds. During drying, the coffee is turned regularly and protected during the hottest part of the day and overnight to preserve quality and ensure even moisture reduction.

Nguguini continues to play an important role in the local coffee community, both as a processing site and as a point of connection for generations of smallholder farmers.

Recently, Fazenda Barrinha installed natural irrigation lines to address the increasingly frequent dry weather. This irrigation system helps ensure a more uniform flowering stage during cherry maturation. Water for irrigation is sourced from the farm’s lake, and nutrients can be added in the pump house separately to the lake water, before being evenly distributed to the plants. This significantly reduces the manual labour otherwise needed for these inputs. The irrigation system is used only when strictly necessary to avoid water wastage.

The farm’s dense vegetation is home to diverse wildlife; workers fishing once spotted a black panther at dusk. Fazenda Barrinha also has its own fruit and vegetables, growing bananas, papaya, limes, and cassava. Additionally, plenty of lavender is cultivated to attract bees, and several beehives are strategically placed around the farm to aid in the coffee pollination. During Bossa's most recent visit, they were delighted to see Toucans, Macaws and Harpy Eagles. The farm utilizes a traditional practice known as “zero harvest,” which involves rotating sections of trees between rest years and harvest years. This method reduces stress on the plants and is common in the Mogiana region.

Barrinha Farm has been in the Costa family for three generations. Armadno Costa is now the head of operations for the Costa family, and for him the farm and land is not solely about coffee productions, but also a sanctuary for all the family passions. One of the main ones is horses - the farm has a ranch and holds cutting horse competitions. In the early 2000's, Armando Costa’s youngest son became the national champion in Brazil! The farm also grows lots of lavender and has recently planted some experimental coffee lots, such as Maragogypes.

The farm manager Fabiana is a farming enthusiast and alongside coffee grows lots of fruits and vegetables which she uses in her cooking. Armando Costa has been in the coffee industry for over 35 years producing and exporting coffee, and as a result many international coffee industry guests come and stay at the farm. Here they have the pleasure of learning all about the coffee production, alongside Fabi’s famous recipes and caipirinhas.

30% of the farm is preserved as native vegetation and lots of animals and birds native from the Mata Atlantica can be spotted here. Armando Costa is very enthusiastic about the ever changing industry and loves talking about the dynamics of it and learning about all the differences in each country. Over the past 13 years he has been joined by Bruna, his oldest daughter, who has built her career in specialty coffee independently and now joins the family business to showcase not only the family's coffees, but also coffees from friends in the region.

BOSSA COFFEE

Bossa Cofffee are looking for ways to positively impact origin when sourcing green coffee. Bossa Coffee want to simplify the coffee world by promoting authentic connections and embrace the beauty of collective learning.

Bossa Coffee believe that sharing knowledge and experiences throughout the industry is the most powerful means of change, and by working together we plan to be a part of it, and to be able to promote it. This is driven by vertical integration with direct involvement as exporters, producers and roasters. Bossa Coffee want to bring back knowledge about the consuming side of the industry to the producing communities they are already a part of. We look forward to partering up with Bossa Coffee and being a part of their jouyrney as they build new relationships and positively impact origin.