It's easy to find a traceable Kenyan coffee of outstanding quality, but the real challenge is in the effort to build long-standing, trust-based relationships with farmers who will work with us year after year. These mutually beneficial relationships are what our sourcing team works toward and is why we have access to high-quality first lot selections. Our 4-year relationship with the Gitwe Cooperative is an example of this work, and it's stronger every year. Gitwe Cooperative's three washing stations, Karatu, Kibiru, and Karinga, are all located in the Aberdare Mountains of Kiambu County, an hour outside of Nairobi. The Cooperative is small by Kenyan standards at around 800 farmers. This lot comes from the Karinga washing station and was produced as the 19th lot of the season. Before export, coffee is sifted through screen filters and graded by bean size. The bean size of this lot is called "peaberry." Peaberries are the rare occurrence of a coffee cherry developing one seed rather than the usual two seeds.