2009 Peru Trip

• Sol & Cafes Producer Cooperative

  Sat 11 July, 2009
  Sol & Cafes Cupping Lab

  We then travelled back to Jean, to the Sol & Cafes cooperative. This is where each farmer delivers his coffee, still in parchment (the dry skin that surrounds each bean) and it is checked for moisture content – a maximum of 12 % is allowed – and each batch is tasted and recorded. These batches are then sent for milling (the process of removing the parchment, grading according to bean size and defect count) at the Norandino mill in Piura. We identified 2 coffees that we liked and are in the process of discussing which we should have for next year’s supply.

  Sol & Cafes have done a fantastic job in raising quality levels in this region, they provide expertise, training and technical assistance to members of the cooperative together with the marketing knowledge vital in selling to export markets around the world.

  In Piura the Norandino mill is a modern facility that cost $6m 5 years ago. It has a modern cupping and analysis lab with some expert cuppers, we tasted some of the coffees just arrived from the primary cooperatives and they were clean, sweet and lightly acidic – all were excellent.

  This was a highly informative visit to Peru, our hosts could not have been more welcoming, the coffee and the conditions in which it is grown were excellent and I look forward to roasting  a lot more Grumpy Mule Peruvian coffee in the future.

• Artido Arce Calderon: “Triple Certified” Farm

  Fri 10 July, 2009
  Artido Arce Calderon

  We visited Artido Arce Calderon on his triple certified farm – that is Fairtrade, Organic & Rainforest Alliance. Making our way through the lush coffee trees laden with ripe cherries growing under the multilayered forest canopy it is clear that Artido is a very professional farmer and has great pride in his achievements. 

  The trees are well maintained and there is a huge amount of organic debris, from fallen branches and banana leaves to naturally growing plants covering the forest floor. These are ideal conditions for growing Organic and Rainforest Alliance certified coffee.

  Speaking to Artido we found that he has a yield of approximately 40 quintales (100 Lb) per hectare and he only produces washed coffee. Artido reckons that 86 % of his coffee is of export quality – a fantastic achievement compared to farms in neighbouring Ecuador. The highest percentage of export quality achieved is 96 % from the farm of Manuel Chinchay, he is a retired teacher and has an important role in educating farmers on how to produce the best quality.

  Each house has a ‘pulper’ (the machine used to separate cherry from the beans) each seems to be adjusted correctly (contrasting to Ecuador), the washing tanks are clean and all are tiled on the inside to ensure maximum bean quality. Artido’s coffee is dried in its parchment on raised drying beds and he was rightly proud of the consistency of his beans.

• Trip to Santa Rosa Village, Northern Peru

  Fri 10 July, 2009
  Typica Arabica Cherries

  The village of Santa Rosa is in the El Molino region of the province of Jean and stands at 1702 meters above sea level, as we neared we were welcomed by 18 farmers keen to show us their farms.  First impressions are of a tidy, prosperous village with a very strong community. Each house has a farm of around 1.5 – 2.5 hectares (an exceptionally large farm is 5 hectares) where coffee is farmed then pulped and dried before being transported to the Sol & Café Cooperative in Jean.

• Ian Visits Fairtrade-certified Producers in Peru

  Thu 09 July, 2009
  Shade Grown Coffee

  Our objective was to visit Fairtrade and Organic coffee farms and learn how they are improving their quality whilst growing coffee with respect for the environment.

  We stayed in the industrial city of Jean (pronounced Hey-Ann) about 5 hours gruelling drive across the Andes south east of Piura, a historic city founded in 1532 by the conquistadores  in Northern Peru. Our hosts for the visit were Gerardo Alarcon – General Manager of the Sol & Café cooperative together with Manuel Chinchay one of the cooperative Directors (‘Mr 96%’ as we called him). 

  The 2 hour drive from Jean to Santa Rosa took us through the lowland rice fields and up into the mountains that surround the city.  The countryside is lush and green and fertile, such a contrast to the brown, desert like plains that surround lowland Piura.