Cerebral Palsy Warrior Group - Kenya - Washed

Pink Lady Apple, Sage, Rhubarb

Roast Level:

Recommended Brew Methods:

Producer: Cerebral Palsy Warrior Group

Farm: Ziwa Farm

Origin: Kenya

Region: Ruthagati, Mathira Sub-County, Nyeri County

Varietal: 10,000 SL28, Batian, and Ruiru 11

Processing: Washed

Elevation: 1900 m.a.s.l.

Importer/Exporter: This Side Up

Price Paid: €12,89 EUR/kg

FOB: €11,14 EUR/kg

Farmgate: €7,62 EUR/kg
Via our import partners This Side Up :
Since 2024 the new regulations in Kenya, coffee moves differently through the value chain. Here farmgate refers to the FOT contract Sakami farmers have received for their produce that also includes freight charges to drive it to the milling facility. The representative pie chart is for the washed AA coffees. This price covers farmgate and other costs farmers have incurred until dry parchment stage. 'Regenerative' refers to a €0,06 premium per kg paid by roasters for This Side Up's The Power of Six Cents project - an initiative to help farmers invest in regenerative agriculture.

 

Tastes Like: Pink Lady Apple, Sage, Rhubarb

This washed AA Kenyan coffee comes from Ziwa Farm, nestled in Ruthagati, Mathira Sub-County, Nyeri County, at an altitude of 1,900 meters above sea level in the shadow of Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges. The farm was founded by Esther Kariuki, whose daughter Shantelle lives with Down syndrome. Esther started Ziwa Farm to create a source of income for Shantelle in a country where people with disabilities are rarely given a place in the workforce. She hopes by helping Shantelle becoming a coffee farmer, it would invite others in the neighbourhood to also actively see coffee as a tool that will improve their livelihoods. Esther’s daughters and their friends frequent the farm regularly and this for them feels like the first step towards helping the younger generation consider farming to be attractive.

What began as a personal mission grew into something much larger: after the local chief learned how the family was supporting Shantelle, he introduced Ziwa Farm to a nearby community, the Cerebral Palsy Warrior Group, whose members' parents also grow coffee. Recognising a shared cause, Ziwa Farm now processes and mills this coffee, and helps bring it to market on the group's behalf, turning a personal act of care into a wider model of inclusion and economic opportunity for families raising children with disabilities.

Ziwa Farm's 10,000 SL28, Batian, and Ruiru 11 coffee trees grow intercropped with macadamia and indigenous species, all supported by 25 beehives that ensure year-round pollination. The region's volcanic, fertile soil and two-season rainfall, 1,200–1,600mm during the long rains and 500–1,500mm during the short rains, combined with the cool highland climate, allow the coffee cherries to ripen slowly. This unhurried ripening is key to developing the layered, nuanced flavours that define the farm's premium beans. They employ women and youth within the community to carefully select and harvest the cherries at the red ripe stage which is supervised by Esther and her family. The partnership with the Cerebral Palsy Warrior Group exists precisely to give this quality coffee, grown by families often overlooked in the workforce, a genuine place in the market.

We've roasted this washed lot on the lighter side, bringing out a sweetness reminiscent of Pink Lady apples, herbal sage notes, and a tart rhubarb finish. Perfect for those who love a clean, hand-brewed cup!