New Gikaru Farmers’ Cooperative Society

Located in Mukurwe-ini Sub-County, on the southern slopes of Mt. Kenya, the New Gikaru FCS was officially registered on January 4th, 2001, under the Republic of Kenya’s Cooperative Societies Act (registration number CS/9448). It operates as a marketing cooperative society, with the mission to promote the economic welfare and prosperity of its members through cooperative principles and values including self-help, democracy, equity, accountability, and social responsibility. New Gikaru FCS manages four wet mills, including Ichamara, and is driven by a vision to become the best-managed and leading coffee marketing cooperative in Kenya. The cooperative emphasizes transparency, inclusion, and community empowerment, holding annual general meetings where members actively participate in governance. Importantly, the board is composed of at least five members, two of whom are democratically elected women, and four women hold key executive roles, ensuring strong gender representation. Most member farmers grow coffee on small plots averaging 0.15 hectares, with about 400 trees per farm. The total production area across all members is approximately 611 hectares. The primary coffee varieties grown are SL28, SL34, Batian, and Ruiru 11—all cultivated in deep red volcanic loam soils at altitudes ranging from 1,400 to 1,600 meters above sea level.