Ndaro-ini, the place of rest in the Kikuyu language, was built back in 1984. It has allowed the Karatina-based coffee farmers to wash their harvest much closer to where they had to take it before, hence the name for the washing station. Gikanda Farmers Cooperative Society (Gikanda FCS) operates two more factories and is well-known for high-quality coffee which they achieve only through continuous investments in infrastructure, training and supporting their 700+ members. The farmers in the region also cultivate corn, macadamia and keep dairy cattle.

A few months ago, Fabian travelled to Kenya and visited farms, processing plants and a research center. Read more about the trip on our blog.

When purchasing coffee from Kenya, Vava Coffee, a certified B Corp founded by Vava Angwenyi in 2008, is usually our partner of choice. We also purchased this coffee through Vava. The social enterprise is committed to contributing to better future prospects for both local communities and the coffee industry as a whole. Vava Coffee’s vision is to challenge the status quo and promote positive social and economic disruption within the coffee industry. Thanks to Vava's passion, many coffee farmers are able to earn their income in a sustainable way.

In the scope of the organization Gente del Futuro, Vava runs a coffee school on the small island of Lamu off the Kenyan coast. The school allows youths and young adults to participate in various SCA courses and obtain internationally recognized certifications, while also receiving additional training. In 2022, the school has also opened its own café named «La Dulce Toro», where the students can put into action what they learned, whilst being supported by experienced coffee professionals. There's a beautiful video, which offers some impressions of La Dulce Toro. Participation at the school is free and available to a limited number of participants. It is funded through contributions to Gente del Futuro, which we also support financially with part of the money collected through both our customers' contributions via our online store as well as the percentage of our annual revenues.

Vava has also published a book along with photographer Portia Maae Hunt  «Coffee Milk Blood – a Story about us, by us» is a beautiful and thought-provoking photo book about the people in coffee production, colonial history – and present. We sell this book just above our purchase price to cover costs. Besides the cost for production and distribution of the book, what's left mostly goes directly to Vava Coffee, part of whose profits always go towards the aforementioned school project Gente del Futuro.

Ndaro-ini is rather sweet and tastes like berries – we would pin it down to raspberry – as well as citrus fruits. On top, there is a cocoa note and a smoothness, reminding us of a soft, almost melted milk chocolate. It is complex yet accessible, wonderfully fresh and crisp and thus perfect for summer, too.