Kenya Gathaithi

Gathaithi Factory is operated by more than 1,100 active members. We taste burnt toffee, orange, and cola

Sorry, sold out!

Varieties: SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, and Batian
Process: washed

Flavour: burnt toffee, orange, cola

Body: Acidity:

Roast: Omni (filter + espresso)

Origin story and details

Producer: 1,117 Members Of Gathaithi Farmer Cooperative Society
Region: Nyeri, Kenya
Altitude: 1220-2300m above sea level

Gathaithi Factory is operated by Gathaithi Farmers Cooperative Society, which has more than 1,100 active members, who farm on about 140 hectares of land in the area. The total production for the cooperative is around 102,000 kgs.

Formerly part of the Giant Tetu coffee farmers society, it is located within the Tetu district, Nyeri County. I60 km north of Nairobi, the factory is situated between Mt. Kenya and the Aberdare ranges, putting it in an ideal location for quality coffee production.

From funds set aside from the previous year’s harvest, members of the cooperative can access pre-financing for school fees, access to farm inputs and funds for emergency needs. The factory is receiving assistance from a field partner: Coffee Management Services (CMS).

Their long term goal is to increase coffee production through farmer training, ready access to inputs, Good Agricultural Practice seminars, and providing the most current printed materials on sustainable farming.

Traceability

100% SL-28, SL-34, Ruiru 11, and Batian coffee beans, provided by Cafe Imports and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, harvest date, and more) that our importers share with us for public use.

Being transparent helps us to talk confidently about the quality and background of the products we sell. It also helps you to know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest sourcing

This coffee was harvested in December 2021.

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing).

This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check all our brew guides.

For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and materials

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Best brewed 15–49 days post-roast

When you leave your whole beans to rest (inside the sealed bag) until our recommended window, you’re brewing at optimum flavour and acidity.

This time allows for the gas compounds, absorbed during the roasting process, to leave the coffee. If you brew too early, it may not be bad, but you’ll miss out on each coffee’s best flavour.

Our recommended brewing window

FAQs

Do you ship anywhere in Australia?

Yes! We deliver our coffee and brewing gear Australia-wide, roasted to order and in compostable and recyclable packaging.

Do you ship internationally?

We ship coffee beans to select international countries. Check the list to see if we ship to your destination.

Can I buy pre-ground coffee?

Yes, we offer pre-ground options for different methods:

- Ground for domestic espresso (home espresso machine)
- Ground for stovetop (Bialetti)
- Ground for AeroPress / Kalita / Cold Brew / Moccamaster / Plunger / French Press (immersion style)
- Ground for V60/Chemex (pour over style)

Do you source your coffee ethically? How so?

We source our coffee from small growers, producers, and cooperatives through responsible importing companies; 95% of our green coffee beans are supplied by Caravela Coffee, Cafe Imports, Osito, and Melbourne Coffee Merchants (certified B Corporations), plus Condesa Co Lab, Cofinet, and a few more.

We share all the traceability information we have about each coffee lot (territory of origin, producer, variety, processing method, importer, quality grade) on each dedicated coffee page. This applies to the blend components in our espresso blends.

Learn more about our coffee philosophy.

Do you roast dark or light?

We roast our single origins using omni roast medium/light profiles. (Omni means you can use the coffee both for filter and espresso brewing, no need to buy different bean bags with specific roast styles.)

We roast our espresso blends using darker profiles.

Learn more about our approach to roasting.

What is ‘specialty coffee’?

The definitions and references to specialty coffee are tricky, if not controversial.

Historically, and as most people see it these days, specialty coffee is Arabica beans that score over 80 in the old Specialty Coffee Association point scale. Today, the SCA refers to specialty coffee as “a coffee or coffee experience that is recognised for its distinctive attributes, resulting in a higher value within the marketplace.”

Our single origins are Arabica +85 SCA score and our blend components Arabica +80, which could be considered ‘true specialty’ coffee. Though we prefer to use the term ‘high quality’ and back this claim with solid traceability data.

What’s the benefit of your coffee subscription?

When you subscribe, you get freshly roasted coffee delivered as often as you need, so you don’t have to be so hands-on in planning your coffee purchases.

Also, you get free shipping on every delivery, and you can cancel or pause whenever you need – no lock-in periods.

Can I buy these beans in your coffee shops?

Yes, definitely! You can walk into any of our cafes in Sydney (or our wholesale network) and grab what’s available on the shelves. You can also buy online here and select free pickup from the Sample Coffee stores.

See all our FAQs

Sample Coffee Roasters warehouse in St Peters, Sydney

With love, from Sample

We’re an independent coffee roasting company based in Gadigal land / Sydney, Australia

We’ve been sharing exceptional coffees since 2011, with a particular focus on rotating single origins, ethical sourcing, and homebrewing accessibility.

Our daily work is driven by quality, consistency, transparency, and fun. This approach has slowly and organically connected us with a community of homebrewers and professionals who value how we do business and, above all, love delicious coffee beyond the hype.

Learn about us