This Coffee comes to us from Mchana Estate, one of the larger estates of Kofinaf Company Ltd. Situated in Kiambu County, the estate sits 35km north of Nairobi City and 10km west of Ruiru town, and covers 907 hectares of which 459 is the coffee bearing area.

The estate employs 172 permanent workers covering tractor drivers, lorry drivers, watchmen, pump operators, mechanics and general workers. The estate is also supported by casual labour ranging from 200 to 1,200 people depending on the time of year. The age of all workers is verified and under-18’s are not allowed, labour allocation is free of tribal discrimination and all workers are treated equally regardless of gender or background.

There is a crèche and daycare available on site where children of workers are cared for by qualified professionals. In addition to this the estate houses Ngewe Primary School to cater for the children of the permanent workers and the wider local community. Workers are free to assemble and hold workers meetings (often used to spread awareness around education and H.I.V/ AIDS), as well as to join labour union groups and Savings & Credit Co-Operatives.

In line with rising focus on environmental conservation, Mchana has waste water soak pits dug far from the local water sources to prevent contamination. Water for processing is re-cycled to limit its use, before being channelled into lagoons whereby eutrophication can take place to prevent pollution before it is re-directed back into the river.

The estate is UTZ and Rainforest Alliance, meaning strict controls on fungicides and fertilizers used are in place as well as annual verification audits.