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. Producers typically cultivate coffee on just a few acres of land intercropped with shade trees, bananas, corn, and beans. They carefully harvest, sort and float cherries to remove less dense or damaged seeds before drying the coffee on raised solar beds. This particular community blend comes from 25 producers who cultivate coffee in Ullma, a community near the city of Huancabamba in the department of Piura. The producers for this particular lot have formed a group called Comité Ullma to carry out their collective activities like establishing a local warehouse for storing their exportable coffee. Comité Ullmal have designed farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their needs, but they also need a strong alliance to bring their coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. Origin Coffee Lab, an export company established to assist small producers access the specialty coffee market carries out activities that often go unnoticed but are crucial for small producers. In addition to helping producers learn best practices for cultivating and processing coffee, Origin Coffee Lab coordinates traceability and quality control throughout the post-harvest process to earn better income for everyone so producers can reinvest in their farms and strengthen their families’ livelihoods. With rising cup quality over the past few years, Origin Coffee Lab has established premiums from coffee exports, which is returned to the producers.
