19KN0014 / Nyeri Hill Farm

About the Farm

Ownership.

NYERI HILL FARM is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri which dates back to 1904. The first plantation was established in 1914 as a demonstration plot near the present site of the Consolata Mission Hospital Mathari.

Size and economic activities.
Whole farm is over 3,000 acres out of which 825acres is under coffee, giving the farm a ranking among the oldest and the largest coffee plantations in Africa. Annual green bean coffee production ranges between 350-450tons out of which the quality grades AA, AB& PB forms the largest percentage of over 80%. The farm also has other farming activities including; Tea covering over 150acres, fodder and cereals -400acres and Livestock production.

Governance & Management.
The farm is run and managed independently by a farm management board, under the chairmanship of the Archbishop Presently His. Grace Anthony Muheria. The board is divided into various sub-committees namely Production, infrastructure and irrigation, marketing, Finance and audit, and HR & CSR sub-committee. The day to day operations are managed by the Farm’s general manager who is also secretary to the board.

Altitude and soils
The altitude varies between 1800m-2000m above sea level, cool and warm climatic conditions with well drained deep volcanic loamy soils favoring coffee farming.

Coffee varieties
The three different coffee varieties in the farm are; SL-28-82%, Ruiru11-14% &Batian-4%. Annual rainfall ranges between 750mm-1000mm. Currently 80% that is, 660 acres is under irrigation where we expect to produce at least 600tons of high quality coffee beans once the system is fully installed with a fertigation unit.

Varieties description
Both Ruiru 11 and Batian are resistant to coffee leaf rust and coffee berry disease but the two varieties are heavy feeders and have shallow rooting system making them more vulnerable in areas with low rainfall.
The Sl -28 variety has a good cup as compared to the other two therefore fetching high in the market. However, the management of this variety is much expensive in terms of diseases control (C.B.D and CLR)

Compliance and certification
The farm possesses a beautiful landscape, that has dense population of the forest cover with a wide range of flora and fauna population, this is in compliance with NEMA –Standard requirements on sustainable measures. We are also accredited to Rainforest Alliance, CAFÉ’ Practices certifications and EUDR Compliance which allow the farm to access direct coffee markets.

Employment opportunities and CSR Programs
The farm is also the second largest employer in the region after the county government of Nyeri- employing 500 people daily and approximately 2000people during the peak seasons. In terms of corporate social responsibility, the farm also sponsors both secondary and tertially education to the best performing students who comes from very disadvantaged families in our neighborhood. In addition, the farm provides free extension services to the neighboring families in areas of crop and animal production aimed at empowering the community economically.
HARVESTING
At our farm, the coffee harvest season spans from June to January, marking our peak harvesting periods. During these months, our dedicated team meticulously handpicks the ripe coffee cherries from our trees.
This meticulous handpicking process is a time-honored tradition and a testament to our commitment to quality. Handpicking allows us to selectively harvest only the ripes cherries, ensuring the highest standards for our coffee beans.