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FEBRUARY 2008: SOCFINAF COMPANY LIMITED

SOCFINAF Company Limited is a leading player in the Kenya coffee industry, with a huge stake in coffee production, milling and marketing.

Background

In 1950, a French company producing rubber in Malaysia, ‘Société Financière de Caoutchouc’ or SOCFIN, decided to invest in Kenya’s Arabica coffee. The local subsidiary, Société Financière d’Afrique or Soc Fin Af, is now part of the worldwide SOCFINAF Group which owns and operates plantations of rubber, oil palm and coffee in Indonesia, Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Liberia.

Presently

SOCFINAF operates 9 coffee estates in central Kenya with a central coffee mill in Ruiru (about 40km from Nairobi). Located on red, fertile, volcanic soils on the foothills of the Aberdare Mountain ranges at altitudes of 1,500m - 1,700m, the SOCFINAF coffee estates are in an ideal environment for production of Arabica coffee.

SOCFINAF Coffee Estates

• Oaklands (379ha, 500mt/year)
• Eaagads (194ha, 320mt/year)
• Ruera (442ha, 675mt/year)
• Gethumbwini (360ha, 575mt/year)
• Mtaro (183ha, 290mt/year)
• Wango (102ha, 180mt/year)
• Mchana
• Tatu
• Karangaita

Rainfall is almost 1,00mm per annum, spread over two rainy seasons which results in two overlapping crops on the trees. To maintain optimum flowering and yields, however, irrigation is used on all estates, drawing water from dams especially constructed on the many rivers and streams passing through this region.

Relatively cool and stable temperatures (mean annual average is 20 degrees C.) lead to slow maturing of the cherries which greatly enhances quality.

Important points about SOCFINAF

1. Winning coffee at the 2007 World Barista Championships (WBC):
   In August 2007, Briton James Hoffman, won the WBC held in Tokyo, Japan. He used Gethumbwini Estate coffee for his winning cappuccino drink. He also blended Gethumwnini Estate coffee with coffee from Costa Rica for his signature drink.
2. Special Coffee:
   In March 2007, SOCFINAF got a differential of 755 US. cents / pound for its special coffee produced at the Oaklands Estate and sold at the Nairobi Coffee Auction.
3. Quality Coffee:
   The quality of SOCFINAF coffee is widely recognised. In January 2008, the company sold 532 tonnes of coffee at an average price of USD. 4.38 / kg.

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Fact Sheet

Download the SOCFINAF fact sheet (pdf, 171kb)

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