The Karindundu factory is located in the lowland region of Mt. Kenya, 1 km from the town of Karatina in Kenya’s Nyeri district. There are a total of 513 active members (349 male, 164 female) contributing to annual production, each with an average of 300 trees and 0.5 acres. Farmers grow macadamia, banana, maize, and beans near their coffee. After harvesting their ripe cherries, farmers deliver them to Karindundu where they undergo a traditional washed process. Coffee is de-pulped, fermented overnight, washed, and then placed on raised beds where it dries to a stable level. Karindundu helps to support the contributing farmers by advising the use of farm manure, pruning, and applying fertilizer. They also maintain a demonstration plot where these methods can be seen and better understood.
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.
