Smallholders selectively handpick ripe coffee cherries and deliver it to Gatomboya Factory. At intake, the Cherry Clerk oversees meticulous visual sorting and floating, accepting only dense, ripe cherry. After collection, the coffee is pulped and fermented for 16 to 24 hours, then washed in clean water and soaked for 8 to 14 hours. The beans are then laid to dry on raised beds, covered during the hottest time of day, to maintain slow, even drying and at night, to shelter the delicate beans from moisture. Drying takes approximately 21 days.
