Kariaini Coffee Factory is operated by the Mwirua Farmers Cooperative Society (F.C.S.) and was founded in the 1960s. Smallholder farmers here own about 1/5th of a hectare and deliver cherry to the factory for processing. The coffee is delivered and sorted before being depulped, and then it is fermented underwater for 15–24 hours. It’s washed three times and spread on metal drying tables for 6–7 days.

Coffee in Kenya is typically traceable down to the factory, or mill level: Most farmers own between 1/8 to 1/4 of a hectare, and often grow crops other than coffee as well, which means they rely on a central processing unit for sale and processing of their coffee. Producers deliver in cherry form to a factory, where the cooperative will sort, weigh, and issue payment for the delivery. The coffee is then blended with the rest of the day’s deliveries and goes on to be processed. Because of this system, which serves many hundreds to several thoughts of smallholder farmers per factory, there is limited traceability down to the individual producers whose coffee comprises the lots.