PERU ORGANIC TABACONAS LAS MERCEDES GRAINPRO

Coffee Background

In Peru the bulk of coffee production comes from small farms owned and managed by people who follow organic farm management practice attuned to their cultural connection with the land. This particular community lot comes from six producers (Gabriel Garcia, Genaro Vallejos, Joaquin Bermeo, Maria Santos Ramos, Reyner Terrones, and Zoraida Benavides) who live in Las Mercedes where the unique micro-climate and shared commitment for cultivating quality coffee produces a remarkable regional profile. These producers individually cultivate coffee on just a few acres of land intercropped with shade trees, bananas, corn, and beans. Each one carefully harvest and sort cherries before depulping, fermenting, washing, and drying the coffee using their own micro-mills. While they have designed farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their needs, they also need a strong alliance to bring their coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. Aroma del Valle, an organization established to assist small producers access the specialty coffee market carries out activities that often go unnoticed but are crucial for small producers. Investments for basic infrastructure needs, like road improvements, establishing local warehouses, and preparing coffee for export are all coordinated through Aroma del Valle, which ensures traceability and quality control throughout the post-harvest process. Aroma del Valle also helps farmers navigate the organic certification process.