A BRIEF STORY ON K.MBURA FARM

Mbura farm is located in Central Kenya, on the slopes of Aberdare ranges, overlooking Mt Kenya. The farm dates back to late 1800 when the elderly Mbura owned about 25 Acres. The family used the land to grow subsistence crops and rear livestock, which was their main source of livelihood.

It derives its name “Mbura” from a local name meaning rainfall. The elderly Mbura was born in 1878, on a rainy morning and as usual, his parents named him after the event that was prevailing then.

In the wake of Kenya obtaining independence in early 1960’s Mbura subdivided his land to his three sons each ending up with about 5 acres of land and the rest was given out to his four daughters. The younger Son Kieu Mbura (Now 78 years) together with his wife Joyce Wambura (72 years) then decided to put up a coffee farm, K Mbura Farm. They planted the first stems in 1961 and completed the exercise of planting the 1620 coffee stems on their farm in 1969.

In the era of colonization, Mr Kieu Mbura was among the many Kenyans detained for championing the struggle for independence and upon release in 1958, he embarked on farming, thus setting on coffee farming since 1961. He joined a Co-operative society in 1963, which helped him process and market his coffee. In 2006, Mr Kieu Mbura’s family came together and decided to pull out of the cooperative society due to the malpractices prevailing in the movement and the fact that the family was growing coffee at higher standards that the Co-operative could uphold.

Farm Operations

The farm sits on the windward side of Mt. Kenya on the eastern slopes of Aberdare Ranges. The farm is only 30 minutes drive to Tree Tops Hotel located on the Aberdare Ranges, which is a major tourist attraction site. This is the hotel where the current Queen of England became the Queen in 1952 after she lost her father back in UK while she was visiting Kenya.

The soil type is red volcanic soils, well drained and has a high humic level. The rainfall averages about 1400 mm per annum and water conservation measures already in place help to retain all this water.

The coffee stems are all conventional varieties, namely SL 34 and SL 28, with limited K7 and French mission. Good Agricultural Practices coupled with Integrated Pest Management Systems are employed in the production of coffee on Mbura farm.

The farm sits on an altitude of about 1950 M ASL and this further helps to produce coffees of the desired quality.

A small but efficient pulping station has been put up which helps to wet process the coffees and there after, the washed beans are sun dried on the already erected drying tables.

In excess of the family labour, Mbura farm provides permanent employment to five people and hires over fifteen casuals during the peak season.

Over the last five months, at least 9 delegates (groups) representing farmers from all coffee growing regions in the country have visited Mbura Farm to learn more on coffee farming. Coffee Board of Kenya and Coffee Research Foundation of Kenya are now using Mbura farm as a model farm for training farmers.

The farm has potential of producing at least 60 – 70 bags of top quality washed Arabica coffee, and for sustainability, the family has agreed to maintain the farm as it is without subdividing it.

Available in shop

For our customers roasters the following coffees can be bought in beans in jute bags of 25 or 50 US/lb (11.4 or 22.8 kg).

All our coffees, torrefied daily, are sold in beans or are ground in front of the customer according to the grinding adapted to its coffee machine (filter, piston, espresso or other).