Kirinyaga farmers’ earnings boosted by coffee roasting machine

The Kirinyaga county government provided coffee farmers from Mwirua Farmers’ Cooperative Society in the county with value addition equipment thereby enabling them to earn more. 

They can now roast, package and sell their own coffee to local residents as they have been enabled to do so by the coffee roaster, a grinder and a packaging machine they received. 

According to the society’s manager Mr. George Muthii Karimi, the society sourced for the requisite licenses and authorizations from entities such as the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA), and the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) as well as barcoding for their product while the county government provided the value addition equipment

He added that in December 2020, the society began roasting its coffee and so far it has added value to 130 bags of coffee. 

The roasted coffee has a guaranteed market from the member farmers who agreed during their January 2020 annual general meeting that each one of them will be buying at least 500 grams of roasted coffee, Karimi added. 

He said the remaining coffee is then sold to local residents through coffee factories and local shops.

They endeavor to improve the society’s income and payout to farmers by encouraging local consumption of 20% of their coffee after which they plan gradually introduce the value added coffee to supermarkets and other outlets in and outside the county.

Kariani, Mitondo, Getuya, Gathabi, Kiaragana, Kiambwe, Rwamuthambi, Riakiania and Ihara are the nine coffee factories that constitute the society. 

According to the society’s Chairman, Geoffrey Kinyua, the value addition equipment has been of great help to the farmers as it enables them to add value to lower grades of coffee thereby boosting their earnings.

He thanked Governor Anne Waiguru for enabling the value addition initiative that is set to turn around the fortunes of each one of the cooperative society’s members, hopeful that their roasted coffee will be trading in the international market.

Governor Anne Waiguru spoke during the equipment handover event at the society’s offices earlier, saying that value addition is in tandem with the Big Four Agenda and will go a long way into improving the farmers’ returns from coffee, encourage local consumption of coffee and provide employment.