Fair Trade Organic Peru

ORIGIN: Peru
REGION: Cajamarca
FARM: 2,000 small-holders
VARIETY: Typica, Caturra, and Bourbon
ALTITUDE: 1200 - 2200 masl
PROCESS METHOD: Fully washed and sun dried on-site

Coffee came to Peru in the mid 1700's and was most likely introduced by Dutch immigrants who brought the Typica variety which still dominates, especially among the older farms and micro-farms. The first coffee plantings were in Chinchao, Huanuco in Selva Central and disseminated from there to the Northern (Cajamarca) and Southern (Cusco and Puno) regions of the country.The first coffee shop opened in 1771 in Lima, and Peru started exporting coffee in 1887.

Peru is the eighth largest producer of coffee in the world, has plenty of farms at and above 1600 and 1800 meters, and has predominantly Typica and Bourbon varieties. High-end coffee is very scarce due to the challenges, most farmers own only a couple of hectares and are in remote areas. Many times their farms are four hours by foot from the nearest town and the town might be eight hours by truck from the nearest port, thus coffee may sit at the farm unnecessarily for extended periods of time after it is dried. During the drying season climate conditions tend to be very humid with precipitation. Without proper storage, such as GrainPro, coffee will gain moisture and destabilize cup quality.

CENFROCAFE is one of the strongest cooperatives in Peru, both in volume and quality and has programs to increase production through organic fertilization and plant health, which is extremely helpful during coffee leaf rust outbreaks. CENFROCAFE produces about 120,000 quintales (1 quintal = 100 lbs) of coffee per year; the cooperative is one of the leaders in volume in the country. The average production per hectare is about 22 quintales which is high for organic production. CENFRO recommends that it's producers fertilize with Guano de Isla, phosphore ore, and Ulexite to achieve these yields.

Purchasing Fair Trade coffee supports the efforts of coffee farmers by empowering them to fight poverty, improve lives, and protect the environment.