Kenya: Boma AA

In the rolling hills of Kenya’s Rift Valley, the Boma Farmers Co-operative Society offers a beautiful example of how heritage, place, and people come together in the cup.

The co-op operates a single wet mill—Boma Factory—located in Fort Ternan, around 80 km west of Kericho County. While Kericho is best known for its vast tea estates and world-class long-distance runners, coffee here has a quieter but deeply rooted story to tell.

Coffee at Boma is grown by around 600 smallholder farmers, most working plots of roughly two acres. Many are relatively new to coffee, farming land that dates back to the colonial era when tea and coffee estates were first established. Today, the co-operative is proudly led by women and young people, with women forming the majority of members and holding key positions on the board and in management.

The name “Boma” comes from the Swahili word for “homestead,” but it also nods to the Boma Plateau in South Sudan—one of the earliest regions outside Ethiopia to cultivate coffee. It’s a fitting name for a coffee that reflects both history and community.

Boma benefits from cool temperatures and rich soils. These conditions allow coffee cherries to ripen slowly, developing deeper sweetness and complexity. Farmers carefully hand-pick only ripe cherries, which are then washed and dried on raised mesh beds, resting patiently before their journey begins.