Regional Details
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. This particular lot comes from a producer group that cultivates coffee around Yanatile, which is located in the Calca province, one of three provinces that form the department of Cusco.
Processing Details
Each producer in the group carefully harvests and sorts cherries before depulping, fermenting, washing, and drying the coffee using their own micro-mills. Cherries are floated to remove damaged and underripe fruit before depulping. Depulped coffee seeds are sealed in grainpro bags to extend the anaerobic fermentation time to 36 hours. Dried coffee in parchment is stored in grainpro bags to maintain quality while the coffee rests and awaits preparation for export.
Exporting Details
While producers design 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. Valleinca Specialty Coffee, an export company, has partnered with nearly 500 producers in the Yanatile area since 2017 to assist producers access the specialty coffee market. Valleinca carries out activities that are crucial to producer-members, like investments for basic infrastructure needs, including road improvements and establishing local warehouses. Valleinca has also helped producers with the certification process.
