Kenyan cooperatives grade and auction cherry with more rigor than almost anywhere else we buy from — Tekangu’s double fermentation and soak process is deliberately slower than a standard wash, and it’s the specific reason Kenyan coffee carries the blackcurrant, tomato-leaf acidity that shows up in nothing else we roast.
We buy at auction through a Nairobi-based importer we’ve worked with for four years, rather than trying to negotiate directly with a cooperative this size — the auction system exists for a reason and we’re not going to out-negotiate it.
