Process & Quality
From ripe cherry to export-ready green coffee
Kenya AA/AB Grading, Washing & Export Specifications
Every lot passes through the same seven stages on our own farm — nothing is outsourced to a shared factory we don't control.
The Sequence
Seven stages, start to finish
Order matters here — each stage protects the quality built up in the one before it.
Selective Harvest
Pickers move through the same trees several times across the season, taking only fully ripe red cherry by hand. Under-ripe and overripe cherry is left for a later pass, which keeps the lot uniform going into the mill.
Wet Milling (Pulping)
Cherry is pulped the same day it's picked, removing the outer skin and most of the fruit to expose the mucilage-coated parchment underneath. Fast pulping is one of the simplest ways to protect cup quality.
Fermentation
Parchment ferments in clean tanks to break down the remaining mucilage naturally. We track time and temperature closely — under-fermented coffee tastes dull, over-fermented coffee turns sour.
Washing
Fermented parchment is washed in fresh water from our own channels, grading it by density in the same step — heavier, denser beans (usually our best) settle and separate from lighter ones.
Sun-Drying on Raised Beds
Washed parchment dries slowly on raised mesh beds, off the ground and with air moving underneath. We turn it by hand through the day and cover it during rain, drying down to 10–12% moisture.
Hulling & Grading
Dried parchment is hulled to reveal green coffee, then screened by bean size (AA, AB, PB) and sorted by density and colour to pull out defects before a bag is ever sealed.
Export Preparation
Graded green coffee is cupped for quality control, moisture-checked, and packed into 60kg jute bags with a GrainPro or vacuum-sealed liner, ready for container loading and shipment to the USA.
Raised Bed Drying
Quality Control
Every lot is cupped before it's offered
We cup each lot as it comes off the drying beds and again after hulling, scoring it against SCA protocol for aroma, acidity, body and finish. Lots are only offered for export once they clear our internal quality bar — not just the minimum required to leave the country.
Moisture content is checked at multiple points, from parchment through to final bagging, so what leaves Nyeri at 10–12% moisture arrives in the USA in the same condition.
Specifications
Grading & export specifications
Reference specs for evaluating Mwai Coffee Farm lots. Full cupping scores and a current sample availability list are sent on request.
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| Species / varieties | Arabica — SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 |
| Screen size | AA (screen 17–18), AB (screen 15–16), PB (peaberry) |
| Processing method | Fully washed, sun-dried on raised beds |
| Moisture content | 10–12% at time of export |
| Defect count | Hand-sorted and density-graded prior to bagging |
| Cupping | Internally cupped every lot; SCA-style scoring available on request |
| Certification | Organic certified |
| Packaging | 60kg jute bags with GrainPro / vacuum-sealed liner |
| Container loading | Standard 19,200kg (320 bags) per 20ft container, or partial lots by arrangement |
| Port of origin | Mombasa, Kenya (FOB Mombasa) |
| Sample lead time | Typically 2–3 weeks to the USA by courier |
Common Questions
Grading, terms & export questions
Quick answers to what buyers usually ask when evaluating a Kenyan lot for the first time.
What does "Kenya AA" mean?
AA is a screen-size grade — the largest bean size in the Kenyan grading system (screen 17–18) — not a flavor or quality score on its own. It's often the most sought-after size, but AB lots frequently cup just as well.
What is FOB Mombasa?
FOB (Free On Board) Mombasa means the quoted price covers the coffee up to being loaded onto the shipping vessel at the Port of Mombasa; the buyer arranges and pays for shipping from that point onward. Other Incoterms can be quoted on request.
What moisture content do you target for export?
We dry to 10–12% moisture before bagging, checked at multiple points from parchment through final export, so the coffee arrives in the same condition it left Nyeri in.
Is the coffee cupped before it's offered for export?
Yes. Every lot is cupped internally against SCA-style protocol before it's offered, and cupping scores are available on request.