Handege Peaberry

Handege Peaberry is a Kenyan specialty coffee produced at Handege Coffee Factory, a washing station serving smallholder farmers in Kiambu County. This lot is made up of peaberries, a naturally occurring form of coffee cherry in which a single, rounded seed develops instead of the usual two flat-sided seeds. The washed process brings out the coffee's clarity and bright character, with flavours of black cherry, orange and cherry tomato.

Handege is located near Gatundu in Kiambu County, in Kenya's Central Highlands, at roughly 1,600–1,900 metres above sea level. The washing station was established in the 1960s and operates under the Ritho Farmers' Cooperative Society, working with smallholder producers from the surrounding area. The high elevation and favourable conditions of Kiambu contribute to the bright acidity, sweetness and fruit complexity associated with coffees from this region.

Coffee was introduced to Kenya in 1893, with early plantings established by missionaries before commercial production expanded under European settlers. Kiambu became one of the country's important coffee growing regions, with commercial production developing there from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Coffee growing was initially restricted for African farmers, but these restrictions were gradually lifted in the 1950s, allowing smallholders to enter the industry. After independence in 1963, smallholder production expanded significantly through cooperatives and became a central part of Kenya's coffee industry.