Mchana estate is one of the biggest Coffee Estates of Kofinaf Company limited. It is 35 km north of Nairobi city and 10 km west of Ruiru town. It has a total of 907 hectares where 459.1 ha form the bearing area, 377.9 ha form the mulch crop area, 17 ha form the forests, 23 ha form the dams and water bodies and 30ha form the infrastructure.
The land is characterized by rolling and undulating plains with very little points of high elevations. The soils are deep red volcanic with considerable proportions of loamy sandy soils. The Estate experiences a bi-modal type of annual rainfall. The rain seasons are experienced in the month of March-May and October- December.
Coffee is a perennial crop. This implies that it has an all-year production calendar. Coffee is picked in two major seasons. The seasons are low and high depending on the pruning cycle. It takes approximately 9 months from flowering to berries’ maturity. Besides picking there are other farm operations such as pruning, fungicide spraying, weeding, irrigation, soil water conservation, inorganic fertilizers application, soil amelioration and pests’ control. Only red ripe coffee cherry is picked and processed. This gives good quality coffee as well as the prime grades that fetch good prices in the international market. Irrigation is carried out when rains are not sufficient enough to meet the biological demand of the coffee stems. It is normally done during the dry spell. Soil erosion measures done by digging soak pits in the coffee blocks to contain surface run-off.
Our cherry undergoes wet processing method. This method basically uses water right from pulping, fermenting and soaking. The processed coffee is then dried in the beds or tables under the sun until it attains the correct moisture for storage and then taken into well aerated conditioning bins before storing and packing for the milling. Water used for processing is re-circulated so as to ensure economical water consumption. When the weather is not conducive for the normal sun drying fuel and electricity are the alternative sources of energy used for the drying process. Extreme hygienic conditions are observed during handling and processing of cherry.
Mchana has a labor for of 172 permanent worker who comprise of tractor drivers, lorry drivers, watchmen, pump operators, mechanics and general workers. The casual workers range from 200 to 1200 per day depending on the season. The highest is during the peak picking season. There is a well laid health and safety measures which ensure the workers work in a safe and healthy environment. Workers below 18 years of age are not engaged. Issues to do with sexual harassment are not allowed in the Estate. The management does not prevent workers of diverse religious sects to don their religious a re. Labor allocation is free of tribal discrimination and all workers are treated equally regardless of their backgrounds. There is a crèche that takes care of young babies when their parents are at work. A day baby care unit is also available and a trained qualified teacher handles the children. The children are also provided with high energy nutritious meals that are well balanced to cater for their nutritional needs during their rapid growth. In addi on to that there is a primary school by the name Ngewe Primary which caters for children of the permanent workers living in the estate and those others from outside.
The workers are allowed to join any labor union groups and other Savings and Credit Cooperative societies to improve their livelihoods. A strong and well trained Occupation Health and Safety committee is in place to cater for workers’ safety issues at work place. In addition workers are educated on the H.I.V./AIDS issues as well as issues to do with education of their children. This is done in the general workers’ meetings they are allowed to hold.
The Estate observes sound Environment conservation measures. This is crucial because the Estate is richly endowed in both flora and fauna In line with the rising awareness on the need to conserve the environment, the estate has dug the waste water soak pits away from the water source where the waste water is allowed to soak in back to the soil. Currently this estate does not engage in waste water treatment. Additionally the society encourages its members to plant trees on their farms. Water used for coffee processing is channeled into lagoons whereby eutrophication is allowed to take place before the water is directed into the river to avoid water pollution. Posters have been put all over the Estate prohibiting people from cutting trees, hunting, fishing or grazing animals so as to conserve both the vegetation and wild animals.
Mchana Coffee estate is run by a factory manager and a farm manager who oversees all activities within the estate. Together with other staff members they carry out duties such as weighing coffee, selection and grading of coffee, paying farmers and addressing farmers’ complaints.
Recommendation:
Resting time: 2-3 weeks
Espresso: 1:2.4-2.6, 92c, 25-28s
Filter: 1:15.5-16.5, 90c
