Kirura is part of the large group of Komothai Coffee Factory Washing Stations. It was founded in 1959 and has 9951 members of which 1047 registered members deliver their coffee at Kirura Station. However, Komothai allows its members to deliver coffee to any of its 13 sites of their choice. Kirura is located in Kiambu County, on the slopes of the Aberdare Ranges, just outside Nairobi. It is one of the few remaining old stations in Kiambu, as many have given up their land to developers. Kiambu has been described as a dormitory area for Nairobi County. Being on the flanks of the Aberdare, Kiambu is well endowed with red volcanic soils, especially in the region around Komothai. The climate is warm and temperate with temperatures hovering around 18 degrees Celsius. Rainfall in Kiambu is significant, even in the driest month. The altitudes of around 1800 m.a.s.l. in combination with the temperatures and rainfall offer ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. Kiambu is Nairobi's food basket with large coffee, tea and dairy farms. As the largest dairy producing county, many farmers adhere to organic fertilisation practices using cow dung on coffee trees. Komothai has an estimated cultivated area of 2113 ha of coffee cultivation. Due to Kirura's proximity to the Kenya Coffee Research Institute in Ruiru, farmers can access certified seedlings and this may explain the high productivity over the years Farmers select ripe cherries and deliver them to the Kirura station. At the station, they supervise the sorting and accept only the ripe red cherry. The cherry is pulped and fermented for about 16-24 hours, without soaking. The coffee is then washed with clean water and left to dry on raised beds. The parchment is covered during the hottest hours of the day to maintain slow and even drying and during the night to protect it from humidity. Parchment coffee takes approximately 14-20 days to dry.