Coffee Varietal: SL 28, SL 34, Batian
Harvest Year:
Coffee Process: Washed
Some coffees mark the changing of the seasons. For us, Gachatha is one of them.
A long-standing Mecca Coffee favourite, its arrival signals that winter is nearly behind us and a new Kenyan season is beginning. Year after year, it stands out on the cupping table—bright, juicy and unmistakably Kenyan.
Gachatha is a coffee factory and wet mill established in 1963 on the slopes of the Aberdare mountain range in Nyeri County. This producer lot brings together coffees grown by smallholder farmers from surrounding villages, who deliver ripe cherries to Gachatha for processing. More than 1,500 members grow varieties including SL28, SL34, Batian and Ruiru 11 in the region’s deep red volcanic soils.
The cherries are pulped, fermented overnight, washed, soaked and slowly dried on raised tables. Gachatha is internationally recognised and regularly showcased by respected roasters including Tim Wendelboe, Sample Coffee and Padre Coffee.
Reliable without ever feeling predictable, Gachatha has become a constant within our Producer Series.
Our Head of Coffee, Dan, grew up just outside Yorkshire’s famous Rhubarb Triangle—maybe that’s why he’s always chasing bright, juicy rhubarb notes. Gachatha delivers exactly that: Bright & Juicy, with hibiscus and rhubarb, vibrant sweetness and the clarity that makes Kenyan coffees so distinctive.