Muinami Estate Ruiru Natural Sc. 15+

Muinami Estate is the local name for what Stephen Nendela himself calls Nawiri, the 26-acre farm in the Cherangani Hills that he began rebuilding after the success of a smaller six-acre sugarcane-to-coffee conversion he started with his mother near Eldoret in 2015. Muinami is Stephen’s family name, meaning “those who work,” while Nawiri means “prosperity”—both suit the place. At roughly 1,900 meters, with forest interspersed and brisk overnight temperatures for much of the year, there is a palpably cooler microclimate here than elsewhere in the West. Of the 26 acres, about 14 are under coffee, with the balance dedicated to agroforestry, beekeeping, nursery space, and the broader farm system that Stephen and his farm manager, Linet, continue to build out.

Stephen is also the founder of the West of Rift Farmers’ Caucus, first convening a small group of producers in 2023 around shared frustrations with rising costs, inconsistent milling, and opaque export systems, and around the shared goal of direct export. Growing pains notwithstanding, the Caucus continues to expand, and its effects have reached beyond the field as well. Through a community-led development incubation project with The Chain Collaborative, several Muinami team members have already received support and funding for projects of their own beyond the estate.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Muinami is one of the most exacting operations in the Caucus, with honey, natural, and extended-washed lots all handled with exceptional rigor and backed by an admirably dense paper trail.