Coffee Farms

Batian Peak farms coffee in Kairi village in central Kenya. Kairi is a well known as a coffee farming region. Most families in this village rely on coffee as their main source of income. The area has near perfect tropical climate which is ideal for growing coffee. Coffees from this region have a remarkable wine-like flavor and unmistakable aroma.

Most coffee farms in the Kairi region are owned by small scale farmers and range from one to ten acres. The Batian Peak coffee farm, like most other coffee farms in the area, has passed through several generations beginning with Kamau's grandfather. Kamau recalls that it was in these village and coffee farm that he learned about the identity of his extended family

"I have many memories of my time growing up and spending time at the coffee farm. I especially cherish times we would spend around a bourne fire listening to stories from my uncles and aunts late at night. I recall that I used to suck on the fruity pulp of raw coffee when picking coffee. Kairi village and the coffee farm remind me of what it means to work hard and sweat for a living. For me, it is a symbol of real life, real struggle, yet real fulfilment and a quite peaceful joy." says Kamau.

Tea Farms

The Batian Peak family also farms tea in a region called Muranga. Muranga is located in the northern highlands of central province. Muranga is a tea farming region. The first thing you notice driving through the village are the beautiful canopies formed by tea farms. The view is breathtaking especially in the morning when the dew has set in.

Bernard Kamau (B.K.), Kamau's maternal grandfather, started farming tea in the 1920's. He raised a family of ten (Kamau's mother is the first born) using the income he earned from farming tea. In addition, he also owned a popular tea shop in the village where he would serve tea and mandazi (also known as fried dough).

Kamau recalls that he spent more time at the coffee farms than the tea farms. "Picking tea is especially difficult because the tea shrubs grow so close together. It was also frustrating for me early on, because I could never tell the difference between the tea buds I was supposed to pick. However I loved spending time at my grandfathers tea shop because I would always get free mandazi's."