Partnership & Background ‎
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The Coffee Yard is a commercial partner of The Coffee Gardens, who support Norman Mukuru and his team in supplying coffee to Falcon Specialty in the UK and EU. The Coffee Gardens have worked with Norman for many years, building a strong relationship based on knowledge sharing and mutual learning, particularly in coffee processing and the development of farmer traceability programs. ‎
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Thanks to this long-standing history and trust, the partnership has evolved to the point where Norman’s coffees are now successfully exported to international markets. ‎
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The Coffee Yard ‎
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Norman founded The Coffee Yard, a large coffee reception and drying facility located in the foothills of Mount Elgon. Coffee is delivered to the site from the surrounding regions of Sironko, Mbale, Bulambuli, and Kapchorwa. ‎
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With nearly 20 years of experience in the coffee industry, Norman began producing natural processed coffees in 2018. Since then, he has continuously refined and adjusted his processing methods to develop the flavor profiles sought by his customers. ‎
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Coffee cherries are delivered from four surrounding regions to The Coffee Yard, where Norman and his team carry out the full natural processing workflow. ‎
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Processing Method – Natural ‎
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Reception & Sorting ‎
Cherries arrive at the station, are floated in water, and hand-sorted to remove defective or underripe fruit. ‎
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Initial Drying ‎
Cherries are placed on raised drying beds to remove initial moisture. ‎
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Secondary Sorting ‎
A second hand-sorting is carried out based on moisture level and color to create uniform lots. ‎
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Fermentation ‎
Fermentation takes place either in sealed barrels or open tanks, depending on the desired final profile. For more floral-forward profiles, as in this lot, fermentation is conducted in open tanks. ‎
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Final Drying ‎
Coffee is then dried on raised beds or tarpaulins for approximately 21 days, until moisture content drops below 12%. ‎
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After drying, the coffee is rested for stabilization and homogenization. Norman and his team then hull the coffee and prepare the green coffee for export using hand sorting and color sorting to ensure export-grade quality. ‎