Want to support women in coffee? Ismeria Leon Alarcon harvested and processed this micro-lot on her 2.5-acre farms called La Chirimoya & La Palta located near the community of Santa Teresa in the Cajamarca region. She has her own micro-mill where carefully harvested cherries are fermented for 24 hours, then floated to remove less dense and damaged coffee before depulping. After depulping the beans covered in mucilage are fermented for another 24 hours and then washed to remove the mucilage. Next the coffee is gently dried on covered raised beds over a period of 5 days. While Ismeria has designed farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit her needs, she also has a strong alliance to bring her coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. With the help of Aroma del Valle, an organization where she is a member, she has been able to successfully produce micro-lots that are gaining international recognition. Aroma del Valle is an organization established to assist producers access the specialty coffee market. Ismeria and other members of Aroma del Valle are also currently focused on family gardens to cultivate food for their own households. Ismeria also cultivates corn, Yuca and sugarcane that serve as another source of income to support her four children.
