Their Heritage: Bringing Kahindu’s Coffee Home
They knew every tree by heart. Now, they would discover its flavour in a cup.
When we returned to Kahindu in Murang’a, alongside Guka’s Coffee, we brought back something familiar in an unfamiliar form. The coffee this community had grown and harvested was now roasted, packaged and served café-style, with accompaniments chosen for the occasion.
But the moment we remember most came with the first sip: the delight on the farmers’ faces, followed by the pride of knowing that this was their coffee.
A relationship built on trust
The journey began with a search for exceptional Kenyan coffee. Working with Guka’s Coffee, that search brought us to Kahindu, part of the Weithaga Cooperative, where the quality of the beans was matched by the knowledge of the people growing them.
Before the partnership could begin, however, trust had to be earned.
The chairman recalled his initial reservations when Chris from Guka’s Coffee first approached him. Previous experiences with dishonest buyers had given him reason to exercise caution. Cooperative members had entrusted him with their harvest, and protecting it was a responsibility he took seriously.
His decision to let the team sample their coffee opened the door to the relationship behind Their Heritage, now available at Artcaffé Market.
Through better prices, prompt payment and direct access to a local market, the partnership is creating a closer connection between the growers and the people who enjoy their coffee. Recognition of its origin means the story of Kahindu travels with every pack.
Sharing in what they helped create
During our earlier visit, farmers had told us that once their coffee left the farm, many never saw the finished product or tasted what it became.
We wanted that journey to lead back to them.
As farmers arrived for the tasting, their smiles and curiosity set the mood. With the chairman and treasurer joining the occasion, growers met the people roasting, packaging and bringing their coffee to market. Questions and conversation flowed around the cups.
One contribution from Guka stayed with us. He shared that there had been a time when his coffee earnings could not buy him a shirt, while intermediaries captured much of the value. His experience resonated deeply with the farmers gathered there.
It gave weight to what we hope this partnership can help achieve: livelihoods that better reflect the skill, commitment and quality behind each harvest.
Growing the next chapter
NKPCU also joined the occasion, presenting 10,000 coffee seedlings to support the community’s continued investment in its farms. Those seedlings build on years of knowledge and work, with the potential to expand future production.
Our hope is that stronger returns will encourage more farmers to invest in coffee, strengthen cooperative membership and build a more dependable living from what they grow.
For us, innovation includes rethinking how coffee reaches the market, how growers participate in its value and how Kenyan consumers connect with its origin.
A stronger coffee culture begins in moments like these: growers tasting their own harvest, customers learning where it comes from, and more of us choosing to enjoy Kenyan coffee here at home.
Their Heritage carries Kahindu’s story onto Artcaffé Market shelves. Bringing it back gave us the chance to share a cup with the people who made that story possible.