At the heart of Ainabtany Dry Mill's operations lies a captivating story of innovation and determination. Through ingenuity and resourcefulness, they've accomplished something truly remarkable.
Using the traditional Kenyan technique known as "Jua-Kali," they've ingeniously repurposed an old rice huller into a coffee huller, all done with their own hands. This transformation allows them to hull both washed coffee parchment and naturally processed coffee.
With a milling capacity of 3 tonnes per hour, well above their current needs, they're prepared for future growth. Post-milling processes, including gravity and density separation and colour sorting, are outsourced to ensure only the finest beans make the final cut.
Pulping Stations and Coffee Production
Ainabtany operates two pulping station locations. The first, located in Kericho East at Fort Tenan, boasts a 15-tonne seasonal capacity. In the 2022 season, they produced approximately 7 tonnes of coffee, with an initial 1.2 tonnes (20 bags) exported to the UK from an early harvest in September. The remainder arrived in the UK on January 29th, 2022. Their second consignment is soon to depart from Kenya.
Their Kericho West wet mill, situated in Cheribo, Sossiot in Kericho County, is currently under construction. While they missed the 2022 season, the Cheribo station is set to be commissioned in February, pending the completion of a borehole and the arrival of a new pulping machine. They anticipate being ready for the May-July fly crop harvest.
About Kericho County and Kericho Coffee
Kericho County boasts a rich history of coffee cultivation. Notably, the Kipkelion and Fort Tenan regions host some of Kenya's earliest coffee farms, established by settlers who discovered this beautiful region.
Despite its historical significance, Kericho County, and by extension, Bomet, hasn't enjoyed the same recognition as an "origin" as central Kenya around the Mt Kenya region. This is largely due to the fact that coffee from this area often ended up in bulked or blended coffee sold by major exporters through the auction system. This was primarily due to poorly managed farmers' cooperatives, susceptible to corruption and exploitation by big coffee dealers.
In recent years, Ainabtany Dry Mill has been actively working to organize farmers into more efficient entities capable of processing and selling their coffee independently. Despite numerous challenges, they've made significant progress and continue to advance in their mission.
