Little Swamps Estate Kenya Washed

When Doris acquired Little Swamps in 2019, she inherited flat fields once exhausted by wheat and barley. At 2,200 meters, with the Cherangani Hills as a backdrop, she saw the potential to restore the land through coffee. A government program in 2021 brought Batian seedlings and technical support, but it was Doris’s vision and discipline that transformed the farm. She tested soils, lowered acidity, and invested in organics—mainly manure. She refused chemicals or pesticides, instead drawing irrigation water from the nutrient-rich swamps that give the farm its name.

What sets Doris apart is not just her agronomy, but her leadership. Quiet and deliberate, she carries confidence but is a master collaborator. As example, when she was starting she recruited women in her community to help —offering them books, shoes, daycare programs ... and coffee seedlings, alongside their wages, so they could plant their own coffee.

From within this community Doris found her first fans, and has enjoyed their loyal support every year since - in an area where help is hard to come by. For Doris, this work is personal. “When you talk to the plant,” she says softly, “it smiles back at you.”

Ripe reds are loosely pulped then floated before going into plastic bin overnight after which they are washed with cold water and skin dried under full shade for 24 hours before finishing on raised beds for 6+ days.

Flavor

We taste syrupy red fruits like raspberry and black currant with a lime citrus acidity and sweetness reminiscent of turbinado raw sugar.

This coffee was sourced by Crop to Cup

Process: Washed

Region: Western Rift Valley

Variety: Batian

Altitude: 2277 masl