Kamavindi estate was established by the late John Njiru Mbature in 1958. During the British colonial rule of Kenya, the farm was limited to 100 coffee trees because of a law that restricted native Kenyans from planting more than this amount. In 1961, permission to meagerly increase coffee planting was given, and John Njiru planted an additional 500 trees. Since Kenya gained independence in 1963, these legal limits fell away, and the Mbature family acquired around 20 additional acres of land for growing coffee.
After the passing of the second-generation farm owners, Martin Mbature and Hellen Mbature, a new generation of the Mbature family has collectively taken on the care of Kamavindi. Martin and Hellen’s children—Ann, Elizabeth, Peter, Mercy, and Gladwell—are the current directors of Kamavindi Coffee. Their unity and hard work have been key to the operational success of the farm. The family is very close and finds strength by leaning on one another in the absence of their dear parents. However, they have taken up the mantle and have continued to improve the farm, doing what they know their parents would love to see them do.
Peter and his wife Gladys are the Quality Directors of Kushikamana, an inspiring group of farmers located in the eastern and central regions of Kenya who work together to increase the quality of their coffees. They are also the directors of the Kamavindi Coffee Lab, a cupping lab and training center on the estate, where local farmers can develop a better understanding of how different agricultural and post-harvest processing techniques impact quality. This lab was inspired by Counter Culture’s training center model, and was funded in part by our Seeds grant program.
