New Highland Collection Arrivals from Kenya and Ecuador
The latest arrivals in our Highland Collection feature two standout microlot coffees—Gachatha from Kenya and Pablo Ponce from Ecuador. Our goal is simple: to share coffees that are extraordinary in flavor and story, and to honor the incredibly complex, skilled, and difficult work it takes to bring them from farm to cup.
KENYA | GACHATHA
[KEN-YUH • GUH-CHA-THUH]
Process: Washed
Elevation: 1,800 masl
Region: Nyeri
Varietal: Batian, SL28, SL34, RUIRU 11
Orange, Brown Sugar, Cinnamon
This microlot comes from the Gachatha Farmers Cooperative Society, 391 acres between the villages of Muthuaini and Kianjau.
Delicious Washed AA Grade. Tastes like oranges cooked down with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Gachatha factory is operated by the Gachatha Farmers Cooperative Society and sits on 391 acres between the villages of Muthuaini, Thiriku, Gachenge, and Kianjau. It was built in 1963, and its current membership is about 1,050, with roughly 900 active members. The factory has nine permanent staff, and hires around 25 seasonal workers to oversee receipt and processing during the harvest season. Permanent staff is in charge of key roles such as receiving and weighing cherry, registering complaints and concerns, and managing farmer payments.
The average farmer has about 300 coffee trees, on less than one hectare of land. Farmers here typically grow other crops as well as coffee, as well. The area surrounding Gachatha is densely populated, which requires the factory to take particular precautions with regards to waste water and pollutants. The factory has soak pits for water treatment to avoid contamination with fresh-water sources, and the community takes care to preserve the indigenous plant life in the area, to protect local bird and animal species.
ECUADOR | PABLO PONCE
[EK-WUH-DOOR • PA-BLO • PONTS]
Process: Washed
Elevation: 2,450 masl
Region: La Perla
Varietal: Sidra
Clementine, Brown Sugar, Cola
Pablo Ponce developed a taste for fine coffees while living in Milan, Italy. He now owns this 5-hectare farm where this coffee is sourced.
This Ecuador microlot has a juicy clementine acidity with the sweetness of cola.
Pichincha, situated in the northern highlands of the Andean Plateau, is known for its cool weather, two volcanoes, and rose farms. Although the area is relatively lower in elevation, the average temperature is 65° and mist often covers the land in the afternoons, known as cloud forests. This climate provides coffee with comfortability during the day, while the cool nights slightly stress the coffee into producing more sugars per cherry.
Thanks for reading, now go drink more coffee!
Take it easy.
