Where are Kenya's coffee producing areas located? What are the characteristics of the western coffee producing area?

Africa is located in the western part of the Eastern Hemisphere and is the second largest continent in the world. The topography is dominated by plateaus, which accounts for more than 60% of Africa, with an average elevation of 750 meters. Africa is rich in natural resources, many mountains, volcanoes, lakes and rivers, and cross the equator, the climate is mainly tropical, which makes African coffee and other agricultural industry developed, has an important position in the global market. Kenyan coffee is known for its multi-layered taste and juice-like acidity.

Kenya is located in the east of the African continent, the country is rich in topography, most of the plateau mountains with an average elevation of 1500 meters, while the eastern branch of the East African Rift Valley cuts the plateau into north and south, dividing the highlands into eastern and western parts, and there are many volcanoes. Mount Kenya, the extinct volcano in the central highlands, is 5199 meters above sea level, which is the second highest mountain in Africa, while in the west there is Kenya's second highest mountain, Elgonne volcano.

Due to Kenya's cross-equator, diverse climate, the whole territory is located in the tropical monsoon region, most areas belong to the savanna climate, hot and humid coastal areas, the plateau climate is mild, more than 3500 meters of perennial snow, annual temperature between 12-24 ℃, due to the influence of monsoon climate, only rainy season and dry season. High-altitude mountains, volcanic soil, plenty of sunshine and appropriate rainfall provide ideal conditions for coffee growth.

The development of Kenyan coffee is also inseparable from the promotion of the government. Kenya's coffee industry started relatively late, and Kenya was a British colony at that time, and the British controlled local agriculture. Later, after independence, the government adopted land reform to enable Kenyans to grow their own coffee, and then through measures such as establishing an auction system, drawing up a draft coffee quality grading system and an agricultural bill, to improve the quality of cultivation and increase coffee income. so that farmers can be self-sufficient.

Coffee cultivation in Kenya is mainly divided into three major regions, the central region of Kenya, the Great Rift Valley region of East Africa and the western region.

Central region

The central region can be said to be the main agricultural producing area such as Kenyan coffee, and 60 per cent of Kenya's total coffee production comes from this region, which mainly includes Neri Nyeri, Kiambu Kiambu, Kirin Yajia Kirinyaga, Mulanga Murang'an and Sika Thika producing areas. There are farms, large and small, mainly on the slopes of Kenyan volcanoes and the Aberdale Mountains, near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya.

In the central region, due to the extinct volcano Mount Kenya, where the soil is rich in organic red volcanic soil, coffee is grown on slopes 1200-2300 meters above sea level, with sufficient sunlight and rainfall to enable these producing areas to produce high-quality coffee. Most of the producers in this region are small-scale coffee farmers who join the cooperative, while the cooperative provides a washing plant, and the coffee farmer sends the coffee fruit to the cooperative's processing plant for processing. In Kenya, Qianjie coffee is made from Asalia Asail processing plant in Sika, which has the flavor of virgin fruit and black plum, with bright acidity, outstanding sweetness, juicy taste and clean taste.

East African Great Rift Valley region

The Great Rift Valley is a 6000-mile valley on the African crust, mostly in Kenya, where corn and animal husbandry were grown at first, and then coffee was gradually grown. The main producing areas here are Nakuru Nakuru and Kisi Kisii. Nakuru Nakuru is mainly rich in natural resources provided by Mount Menangayi and the volcanic lake Nakuru Lake. Coffee is grown in an area between 1850 and 2200 meters and is one of the higher altitude growing areas in Kenya. The coffee produced in these areas has medium acidity, full fruit aroma and rich chocolate flavor.

The western region

The western part is mainly composed of three major coffee producing areas: Elgon Mt.Elgon, Transit-Enzoya Trans-Nzoia and Bangma Bungoma, all of which are located at the foot of Elgon volcano in western Kenya. Coffee is grown on hillsides 1500-1950 meters above sea level. With steep hills, many streams and waterfalls, fertile land, lush vegetation, humid and mild climate and annual rainfall of 1279 mm, it is an important producer of crops such as coffee, bananas, tea and corn. The coffee produced here has bright acidity and citrus fruit flavor and has a mellow taste.