Members

The People Behind the Harvest

Gathaithi is powered by 1,988 smallholder members farming small plots on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Every cherry is hand-harvested with care, ensuring only the highest quality fruit reaches the mill.

A picker’s hands taking ripe red cherry from a coffee branch, leaving the unripe green cherry behind.

Selective Harvest — Pickers selectively take ripe cherries, returning a week later for the rest.

Hands selecting ripe red cherry from a coffee branch, green leaves all around.

Quality First — Sorted by color and ripeness, never strip-picked from the branch.

Hands cupping a cluster of ripe red coffee cherry on the branch.

Peak Ripeness — Perfectly mature cherries ready for same-day delivery.

Our farmers

Voices from the Hillside

We harvest in passes so every cherry reaches the mill at peak sweetness. Seeing our coffee served globally makes every early morning on the farm worth it.
Joseph MainaMember & Smallholder (250 Trees, Tetu)
Hand-picking only the deep red fruit is a discipline passed down in my family. High elevation and careful sorting are what make our cup score so exceptional.
Mary WambuiSecond-Generation Farmer (Gathaithi Society)
Because we own our mill, every farmer takes pride in strict quality control. From intake to drying, we handle our harvest like a reserve lot.
Peter NderituSmallholder & Cooperative Member

Members of the Gathaithi management and supervisory committees standing along a raised drying bed, checking the parchment by hand. — The management and supervisory committees at the drying beds, checking the parchment by hand.

Agronomy

Sustainable Agronomy & Farmer Support

Superior cup quality begins long before harvest. Through year-round field training, our society supports members across 330,000 coffee trees—ensuring unified standards in tree nutrition, soil health, and selective picking.

Hands-on Field Training

Training takes place directly on member farms. Sessions follow the seasonal calendar—focusing on pruning, soil nutrition, pest management, and harvest discipline.

Sustainable Practices

Demonstrations emphasize soil conservation, organic mulching, responsible input management, and detailed farm record-keeping.

An agronomist inspecting a coffee branch on a member’s farm at Gathaithi, a sample jar in one hand and a clipboard in the other.

After harvest, annually

Pruning and canopy management

Cycle pruning, stumping of exhausted blocks and canopy management to keep bearing wood productive and disease pressure down.

Before flowering and after fruit set

Soil and nutrition

Soil sampling, correct fertiliser rates and timing, mulching and organic matter — matched to the red volcanic soils of the catchment.

Through the wet season

Pest and disease scouting

Identifying coffee berry disease and leaf rust early, spraying correctly and safely, and choosing resistant varieties for replanting.

Through harvest

Picking and delivery discipline

Selective picking of ripe red cherry only, multiple passes, and same-day delivery — the practices that decide the cup and therefore the price.