On the windward slopes of towering Mount Kenya—a stratovolcano that is the second tallest mountain in the African continent after Kilimanjaro—a cooperative of smallholder members grow this exceptional coffee. These farmers are from Embu County, one of the most prime and fertile highlands of Kenya, and they pick and process red-ripe coffee cherries at the washing station Ngurueri. When the coffee reaches a 10-11% moisture level in parchment, it is rested, milled, and ready for roast.

Built in the 1970s, Ngurueri now has almost 1,000 smallholder farmers and is a part of the Murue Farmer’s Cooperative Society. Today, this AA coffee ranks amongst the best in Kenya and commands premium prices of 141 KES (Kenyan Shillings) per kilogram—more than double what farmers usually earn in the country. Ngurueri is a prime example of what well-grown and harvested coffee can achieve: in addition to exceptional taste, it sustains livelihoods—as in Embu, which has become one of the most prosperous counties in Kenya.