Mr Justin Njeru has devoted his life to coffee farming in
the lush tropics surrounding majestic Mount Kenya.
But the first time he tasted his own quality coffee was when
I visited from the UK and stayed at his hotel and gave him a bag of freshly
ground beans grown on the slopes of Mount Kenya that I’d bought from a
supermarket in London!”
Sitting together on the shady balcony of the Snow Peak
hotel, he slowly pushes down the plunger and chuckles with glee at the irony!
At the age of 76, married to wife Sylvia for 47 years, father of six and grandfather of 13, Mr Njeru has a renewed sense of purpose!
Revenge is Sweet
He is finally defying the British colonialists! And the
taste of revenge is sweet!
He explains that in the 1950s the British rulers made it
illegal for the local people in the fertile coffee-growing region of Meru to
drink their own coffee.
Instead the lucrative product was exported for the
burgeoning mass markets in the UK and profits were greedily grabbed by the
wealthy elite.
Hard-working Kenyan coffee farmers were paid peanuts!
He reflects: “I remember when coffee was first introduced to
this area, people, even the growers were not allowed to drink coffee because it
was not available in the shops. The only way one could drink coffee was to use
crude means like grinding the beans with stones and boiling it. If you were
caught you would be prosecuted. You would be taken to the Chief and punished.
“Our coffee was all being exported. It was for export to
Britain, for the white man.”
Passion of a Lifetime
Mr Njeru grew up learning every aspect of coffee growing
from his father. He has witnessed green berries turn into ruby cherries for
countless seasons and he’s harvested and processed millions of sacks of beans.
“When coffee was first introduced in 1950 my father planted
coffee. We didn't have farm implements so the children would dig the holes and watch
as the trees were planted. So I developed an interest in growing coffee as a
child. It has been my life-long passion.”
He nurtures 15,000 trees spread over 17 acres of idyllic
farmland of volcanic red soil, basking under blue skies of endless sunshine and
generous rainfall, producing the finest coffee in the world.
A Champion of the Growers
He has championed the rights of hundreds of coffee growers
in the region as Chairman of the Mount Kenya Fine Arabica Coffee Growers’
Association. And yet, even today, 56 years after Independence from British Rule
in 1963, farmers are still exploited by the middlemen and paid peanuts for
their delectable beans.
“Growing coffee is very difficult and the regulations are
stringent, especially during harvesting. You must take only the ripe berries of
the finest quality.
“The coffee grown in Kenya is mostly Arabica which is better
in quality because of the aroma and the acidity. And growing Arabica is more
demanding, the care is more tender, than growing Robusta coffee.
“We are proud that Kenyan coffee is renowned as the best in
the world.”
Justice for Justin
While coffee connoisseurs around the world are insatiable
for their daily caffeine fix, the farmers of Kenyan do not receive a fair price
for their top quality product, their arduous labour and their loving dedication
to perfection.
But all that can change. Justice for Justin and his fellow
coffee growers is possible if they can by-pass the controlling grip of the
Coffee Board and sell directly to independent buyers from other countries.
Talking about his hopes and dreams, he states: “Growers
should be allowed to do their own marketing and sell to the willing buyer. We
are fighting for the right to sell our coffee freely.”
“Development in this region is all pegged to coffee as a
cash crop. Coffee has supported education by building schools and allowing
parents to pay school fees.
“I dream of processing and exporting my own coffee as a
finished product, rather than a raw material, at fair price.”
As international trade markets relax, there is hope that
Kenyan farmers will finally receive a fair price for their quality coffee,
their expertise and their labour. And
maybe the local people will even get to enjoy a freshly ground brew of this
elixir of life.
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| Talented young film makers Victor and Mike made this delightful film about Mr Njeru's passion for coffee growing |
