FIELD NOTES: Issue 02 – May 2026
The untold story behind your coffee - Kenya Ngoe AB
Great coffee always has a story behind it. Sometimes that story begins with a family farm, sometimes with a passion for craft, and sometimes, like in Helen’s case, it begins in an entirely different field.
Helen is a conservation biologist by profession and a coffee farmer by heritage. Her farm in Kenya produces some of the coffee we proudly roast at Chimney Fire, and what makes her story so compelling is the way her background in conservation, sustainability and community work has shaped her approach to farming.
Although Helen’s professional background is in conservation, coffee has remained a part of her life throughout. As a child, she spent school holidays at her grandmother’s farm, picking coffee cherries and taking them to the factory for milling. It was hard work, but it gave her an early understanding of the care and labour behind every harvest.
Years later, while working in wildlife conservation, Helen oversaw coffee projects with the Africa Wildlife Foundation. Working with cooperatives and farmers, the aim was to improve agronomy, milling practices and water conservation so growers could produce better coffee and earn better prices. That experience gave Helen a deeper understanding of both coffee farming and the challenges across the value chain.
Today, at Ngoe Farm, Helen focuses on picking only ripe cherries, using traditional wet processing, and farming in ways that protect the environment. Indigenous shade trees, mulching, terracing and natural ground cover all help support soil health and biodiversity.
Helen was introduced to Dan through agronomist Robert Thuo, and from there, a relationship grew around a shared vision for direct trade. In 2025, Helen shipped her first coffee to Chimney Fire!
Looking ahead, Helen hopes to keep improving quality, expand production and create more value in producing countries for smallholder farmers.
(Field Notes is a short printed update we include with subscriber deliveries, sharing what we're seeing across the farms and coffee regions we work with.)
