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During the British colonial rule of Kenya in the early 1900s, settlers sought to increase commercial agricultural production, focusing many research efforts on coffee, which was already one of the crops most integral to Kenya's economy. These efforts aimed to increase profits for the very settlers who had displaced Indigenous people groups, taken ownership of farmland, and imposed legislature that restricted the Indigenous population from owning land.
Established by the British colonial government in 1922, Scott Agricultural Laboratories was tasked with exploring coffee varieties that could offer higher yield and resistance to drought, pests, and disease. From this came the development of SL28, a Bourbon-lineage variety prized for its drought tolerance and cup quality, and namesake of Scott Labs. While SL28 has its roots in settler colonialism, and is no longer as disease resistant as it once was, the bean remains celebrated for its smooth, rich flavor, and is a key contributor to our Kathendu Estate coffee.
In Kathendu Estate, SL 28 is mixed with K7 beans, another member of the Bourbon family. In the cup, they combine to express blue fruits and brown sugar with floral overtones, and a cleansing acidity. Much like wine, Kathendu sneaks in savory notes, which many liken to tomato leaf.
TASTING NOTES
Sweet, dried cherries and blackberries
ROAST LEVEL
Light
REGION
Meru County, Kenya
Process
Wet processed, double washed. Dried on raised beds. Triple sorted.
Wet Mill
Kathendu Estate (partner estate of Undugu Farms)
Founded in 2023, Undugu Farms introduces drinkers to exceptional Kenyan coffee while bolstering the coffee growing culture and supply chain. Often, Kenyan coffee farmers receive payments as late as six months after the harvest, when cash can no longer be reinvested in the next season. Undugu Farms compresses this timeline to weeks, allowing farmers to invest in pruning, fertilizer, and more to care for their coffee farm and ensure an increasingly higher quality product.
Undugu Farms also buys the farmers’ entire harvest at above-market prices. Typically, farmers take their beans to auction, where the best lots are sold and the others languish. By purchasing the full lot, Undugu Farms ensures every bean finds a home, whether within Kenya or internationally, dramatically boosting farmers’ income. These efforts cultivate a stronger feedback loop, fully traceable coffee, and a closeness with the beans for farmers, roasters, and consumers alike.
Festus Kathendu, after whom the coffee is named, has been growing coffee his whole life. His 48-acre farm is in Meru County on Mt. Kenya’s northeastern slopes, where he harvests classic Kenyan coffee varieties.
Like other Kenyan coffee farmers, he wasn’t that familiar with his own product, preferring to drink tea. As part of their partnership, the Undugu Farms team, which connects Kathendu’s beans with global roasters, cupped his coffee on the farm so he could experience and appreciate what everyone loved about his product.
Undugu Farms works closely with Kathendu and other local farmers to help them continually expand their operations and opportunities as Kenyan coffee gains more international recognition. From your first sip of his coffee, you join Kathendu on this journey.
