Tegu Factory AB, Karatina Town, Kenya | Washed FSC-8711

Tegu is one of the wet mills owned and operated by the Tekangu Farmers Cooperative Society near the town of Karatina in Nyeri, Kenya. This area is well known for its fertile soils and strong reputation for quality coffee production. Founded in 1969, Tekangu FCS represents around 1,200 smallholder members, each typically farming less than half a hectare across five villages. The name Tegu translates as “low place”, reflecting its position in the foothills between Mount Kenya to the north-east and the Aberdare Range to the west. In addition to Tegu, Tekangu FCS also manages the Karogoto and Ngunguru wet mills. Coffee is collected through three centralised collection points, serving farms located up to around 6km from the mill. At the factory, cherries are first hand-sorted to remove underripes and overripes.

They are then floated to separate lower-density cherries before being depulped using a disc pulper. The coffee undergoes an overnight dry fermentation, followed by washing and a second fermentation under water. It is then washed again, soaked in clean water, and finally moved to raised beds on the gentle slopes outside the mill to dry. During drying, the parchment is typically covered at night and during the hottest part of the day to help maintain stable temperatures and protect quality. We purchase Kenyan coffees through a local Kenyan company that bids on our behalf at auction after lots have been screened and cupped locally.