{"id":14125,"date":"2025-07-02T15:41:57","date_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/?post_type=producers&p=14125"},"modified":"2025-11-20T11:44:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T02:44:05","slug":"great-rift","status":"publish","type":"producers","link":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/narratives\/producers\/great-rift\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Rift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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When Zakiya Muge left her job in a busy South London hospital during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she only planned to visit Kenya for a short break. Four years later, she\u2019s running one of Kenya\u2019s most quietly innovative coffee estates.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Kenyan Roots and Return <\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before the farm and export business that it is today, Great Rift began as a dry mill in Eldoret – a decision that, in hindsight, Zakiya calls \u201ca terrible idea.\u201d Her father, newly returned to Kenya after decades in the UK, had been talking to farmers in the region who were increasingly frustrated with multinational mills. \u201cHe thought that would be a good way to kind of get into the industry,\u201d she says. \u201cBut looking back on it, it probably would have been better to know a little bit more about the industry before we started the mill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zakiya’s own upbringing straddled two worlds. Born and raised in the UK, she studied pharmacy and worked in London hospitals before visiting Kenya in 2020 – a trip that quickly became a permanent move. Her father, originally from Kenya, had left in his early 30s to pursue a PhD in veterinary medicine at Bristol University. He stayed for 25 years, raising a family before returning to Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the early years weren\u2019t easy. \u201cInitially, it did take off quite well,\u201d Zakiya recalls, \u201cbut over time we realized there was a big disparity.\u201d Multinational mills could offer things Great Rift simply couldn\u2019t: agronomists on site 24\/7, generous incentives, and perks that smaller operations couldn\u2019t match. By 2020, they made a strategic decision to scale back and focus instead on estate farmers who were more independent – farmers who didn\u2019t need constant agronomic input, but who were looking for transparency and trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That focus began to pay off. Kenya\u2019s coffee sector has long been controlled by multinationals, leaving small farmers with little leverage. Then, in late 2023, sweeping legislation changed the landscape. Kenya cracked down on multinational conglomerates, limiting them to just one license within the coffee value chain. Most chose to keep their buyer\u2019s license and abandoned milling – leaving a massive gap. \u201cSo it was good for us,\u201d Zakiya says. \u201cIt was overwhelming.\u201d Suddenly flooded with new volume, Great Rift responded by securing their own export license in mid-2024. \u201cSince then we’ve been exporting our own coffee and other coffees – people that we work with,\u201d she says. What began as a well-intentioned misstep – a mill without a farm – has become a full-fledged, vertically integrated operation with a distinctive vision for Kenya\u2019s future in coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Growth <\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When Zakiya first arrived in Kenya, the farm was just beginning to take shape. \u201cWe went up to 40 acres the year that I came,\u201d she says. \u201cThen we went up to about 80, then we went to like about 140.\u201d Today, several farms – planted at different times, with different varieties and processes – make up the estate known as Great Rift. The long-term goal is clear: \u201cWe have the aim of expanding by 50 acres every year.\u201d Though they missed that target once, they\u2019re now in the middle of planting another 90 acres, slowly inching toward 300 acres under coffee. \u201cIt\u2019s still very young,\u201d she says, \u201cso it\u2019s growing slowly like that so that we can manage ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it\u2019s not just the land that\u2019s expanded. Under Zakiya\u2019s guidance, Great Rift has embraced a distinct identity – one rooted not in tradition, but in bold, intentional difference. \u201cTo be honest, I think I\u2019ve been very lucky, especially with the processing that we\u2019re doing,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s quite innovative, especially for our region. Like Kenyan coffee, everyone\u2019s always looking for the classic washed. And I think coming into the export sector, we were kind of like, well, we\u2019re not going to be able to compete with central regions washed, classic, Nyeri, Meru coffee. Let\u2019s just do something different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They didn\u2019t have the old-school SL varieties or the legacy of Central Kenya estates. Their trees were only three or four years old, and they were farming in a region more associated with tea than with coffee. Instead of trying to replicate a legacy that wasn\u2019t theirs, they chose to create something new – focusing on fermentation, naturals, and a deep curiosity about processing. \u201cWhat value addition could we do ourselves to kind of promote not just the region but also innovative techniques that are not only in Kenya?\u201d she asked. That question, and the answers it led to, helped define their success.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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While the estate farms make up the core of Great Rift, they also work with a wide network of outgrowers, up to 500 in a season. Around 85 of those relationships are more formal, with Zakiya\u2019s team providing agronomic support and collaborating closely on inputs and processing decisions. The rest are more transactional: smallholder farmers who drop off cherry when they can for immediate payment. Rather than apply a one-size-fits-all approach, Great Rift meets each grower where they are. For the more independent outgrowers, naturals are often the best route – a process that can help smooth over inconsistent picking or nutrient gaps. \u201cFermentation can kind of balance the cup a little bit better,\u201d Zakiya explains. \u201cI find pulping can really reveal if anything\u2019s gone wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This layered approach,  combining estate growth, processing innovation, and flexible outgrower relationships,  has helped Great Rift sidestep the market saturation and price pressure that haunts many Kenyan producers. \u201cEveryone is really looking for market,\u201d she says, \u201cand I think [buyers] have identified us as someone who is transparent and has opportunities, plus the quality is better.\u201d So far, she adds, they haven\u2019t had too much trouble finding buyers. \u201cFingers crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Making Quality a Shared Language<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Zakiya\u2019s approach to quality is to create a shared language about processing and how that affects what\u2019s in the cup.  \u201cMost outgrowers have grown up on farms, so they know what they\u2019re doing there\u201d she says. \u201cCoffee isn\u2019t that much different from any other crop. It\u2019s from the point of picking to the mill where things go wrong.\u201d Therefore, that\u2019s where she\u2019s focused her energy: equipping farmers with the knowledge and tools to get that part right.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The estate runs regular training sessions, every two to three months, aligned with the coffee calendar. Some are held at the mill or farm, others take place in smaller community hubs. \u201cWe\u2019ll go to a chief farmer in an area and do some basic training, or have bigger sponsored events with fertilizer companies.\u201d Attendance varies, but one thing is constant: \u201cNo one ever leaves like they haven\u2019t learned anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zakiya has also made deliberate efforts to reach women, who often handle the most quality-sensitive parts of production – picking, fermentation, and drying. That meant shifting training to evenings and weekends and holding sessions within women-led cooperatives. \u201cIt\u2019s the women that are on the farm daily,\u201d she says. \u201cSo we had to move some to weekends and do some specifically in spaces where we think we could find them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s been real improvement. \u201cOver the last year, we can see that the quality is increasing,\u201d Zakiya says, noting floatation data like the percentage of sinkers to floaters. Great Rift also runs a seedling exchange program, allowing farmers to trade cherry for subsidized plants – another step in building long-term, two-way partnerships. \u201cIf the quality is better,\u201d she says, \u201cthere\u2019s always a market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

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Learning the Hard Way<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Learning the Hard Way<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite Great Rift\u2019s growth, navigating Kenya\u2019s coffee sector hasn\u2019t come easy,  especially as a young woman trying to make her way through a male-dominated industry. \u201cIn the UK obviously you still kind of felt marginalized as a woman but like not to the extent as when I came here. It was ridiculous,\u201d Zakiya says. \u201cLike what is going on? Like people aren’t even listening or taking [me]… just completely disregarding you.\u201d Her frustration mirrors systemic inequities. Despite contributing 60-80% of labor on Kenyan coffee farms, women own just 5% of titled land and rarely lead cooperatives according to the World Bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also ran into Kenya\u2019s confusing licensing system, where information is scarce and often conflicting. \u201cTechnically, as a farmer, as long as you have a grower code, you can sell your coffee, you can export it, you don\u2019t actually need an export license,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhich again, no one knows.\u201d What frustrates her most is the lack of transparency. \u201cPeople don\u2019t tell you… they\u2019ll love to tell you how to manage your farm, but when it comes to actually trying to make money… they\u2019re not that forthcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She\u2019s skeptical of the system\u2019s motives. \u201cI think they probably don\u2019t want farmers to sell directly because I would say that probably doesn\u2019t suit them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even within her own company, shifting the culture took work. \u201cWhen I came there were no women. I was the only one. So when I became a decision maker, I said, this culture needs to change.\u201d Part of that commitment to supporting young women has included sponsoring high school education for the top-performing girl in her county each year – a program that\u2019s been ongoing for the past four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, she hasn\u2019t done it alone. Sidney from Lot 20 – also a producer working on TYPICA\u2019s platform – became a key early ally. \u201cMe and Sydney have done a few exports together. So my first one, he kind of held my hand, helped me with that. And some of our processing techniques, Sydney\u2019s really helped us a lot with..he\u2019s definitely pushed us in the right direction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The Future of Great Rift<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Zakiya hopes to build more than just a successful coffee estate – she wants to reshape how the next generation sees coffee. \u201cWe wanted to set up a youth cooperative,\u201d she says, \u201cpeople below 35 who might not own a farm but at least manage maybe their parents\u2019. That was kind of what we\u2019re looking towards.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s also working to bring coffee closer to the people who grow it. Great Rift already roasts high-end lots for hotels and restaurants, but she wants to go further. \u201cWe do want to do more lower-end coffee for farmers so they can actually enjoy their own coffee… some of them have small cafes that they can sell their own coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainability, too, is a priority but on realistic terms. \u201cWe started moving one block towards organic… It\u2019s very difficult, to be honest.\u201d Water use, mulching, manure procurement – all require both time and resources. Still, Zakiya remains committed to showing farmers what\u2019s possible. \u201cLet\u2019s start with one block. We\u2019ll show farmers kind of, oh look, you can do this too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For someone who never planned to stay, Zakiya has become the kind of leader the industry didn\u2019t know it needed – not just expanding land or volume, but carving space for transparency, experimentation, and a future where farmers, especially young ones, as a real possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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