The Oreti Estate farm has been owned by the Harries family for several generations. It is one of the last two remaining medium farms in Kenya and is found in deep volcanic red soils. This 35-hectare small farm (actually a large farm by Kenyan standards) is named after New Zealand's Oreti Beach, where Boyce's grandfather first met his grandmother. Peter Harries decided to plant 17 hectares of SL14 next to the SL28 in 1961. Despite being particularly susceptible to disease, the family retained this variety because it was of better quality than the SL28. The Harries family also owns the Chania farm, and 80 hectares of native forest planted to promote biodiversity is now merging the two farms. Today, more than 50% of Chania and Oreti farms are planted with Red Bourbon. The rest is a mix of Ruiru 11 (resistant variety), K7 (rust resistant), SL28 (disease susceptible but known for pot quality) and the new Batian variety. The farms have 40 full-time staff, but employ up to 300 people to select and prepare the coffees during harvest. The farm opened its own kindergarten to take care of its employees' children. All coffees are completely hand picked and processed on site. Most are washed, but Boyce also produces specialty varieties of natural and honey coffees, as well as microlots.
Dill
Simple Syrup
Popcorn
Type
Single Origin
Origin
Thika, Kenya
Roast
Medium-Light
Species
Arabica
Varieties
SL-28, SL-34, SL-14
Process
Washed
Altitude
1585m
Producer
Boyce Harries
Farm
Oreti