Back in 2018, Kenya Gakuyu-ini was the coffee we used for our Filter of the Year entry at the Helsinki Coffee Festival, where it earned us an honorable second place. Since then, we’ve received several samples, but none quite lived up to the memory—until now. What makes this coffee so special is its intriguing and unmistakable character. While most Kenyan coffees are known for their red berry, winey, or even tomato-like tones, the beans from Gakuyu-ini Washing Station stand out for their elegance and brightness.

Gakuyu-ini is the only washing station that belongs to the Thirikwa Cooperative in Kirinyaga County, on the southern slopes of MtKenya’s highlands. Fertile red volcanic soils and abundant rainfall create ideal conditions for producing coffee with a rich,complex flavor. The cooperative is made up of smallholder farmers with an average plot size of about 0.25 hectares, where theypractice mixed farming—growing food crops for household consumption alongside coffee as a cash crop. Today, the cooperative unites around 1,600 smallholder farmers. In this region, the main varieties grown are SL28, Ruiru 11, and Batian. All coffee is processed using the washed method. Farmers handpick only ripe cherries and deliver them to the station the same day. There,the cherries are hand-sorted to remove underripe and overripe fruit under the supervision of the station manager. After depulping, the coffee undergoes fermentation and is washed with clean water from the Kiri River, then dried on raised African beds. The station is overseen by a board of five members, directly elected by the farmers.