In 2018, the Thageini Washing Station supplied Project Origin with a range of exceptional washed coffees. It was simply a year of everything working perfectly, but it inspired us to try and explore what other possibilities Thageini could produce. Kenya is known for its washed lots, but it is not really familiar with the natural processing methods. The process is relatively new and not done unless a purchaser has already committed to buying it. Additionally, the process of hand sorting cherries was not done on the drying beds, as this step is completed by the farmers upon deliver to the station. To help make the natural process more accessible to the team at the Thageini Washing Station, we thought we would provide them access to infrastructure that could allow them to begin producing coffees of various processing methods.

We helped fund the construction of drying beds and other infrastructure, and we dedicated time towards educating the workers here on alternative processing techniques, including natural processing. In 2019, Thageini produced its first naturally processed coffee for Project Origin. The results of these coffees have been very well received, and we should all be keeping an eye out for naturally processed Kenyan coffees in the future.