Tupac Amaru Cooperative

Description

sweet raisin and molasses, concord grape, medium bodied

Producer

Tupac Amaru Cooperative

Region

Puno, Peru

Elevation

1500 - 1800 meters

Variety

Caturra, Bourbon & Typica

Process

Fully Washed

Harvest

September 2014 - November 2014

Storage

GrainPro™

Relationship

Importer Contract

This is the first coffee we’ve purchased from Peru -- a country we’ve typically stayed away from based on quality. This spring we reached out to our sourcing partners for some new origins, and were pleasantly surprised by this sample. While we buy based primarily on coffee quality, it’s an extra bonus that it also happens to be certified organic.

From the importer of this coffee:

"Tupac Amaru is a cooperative member of the CECOVASA group located in the Sandia Valley of Puno, Peru's southernmost province which borders Bolivia. It’s a 10+ hour drive from the capital city over the altiplano and down the mountains into the jungle. Puntina Punco is the epicenter of the coffee producing area and our base of operations during the harvest season. There are eight cooperatives that comprise the membership of CECOVASA, which has a total of 4,700 total farmer members. Tupac Amaru is one of these eight cooperatives, and is named for the area in which it’s located. Elevation here ranges from 1500 - 1800 masl. Farmers grow mainly Caturra with some Typica and Bourbon mixed in. There must be some level of Catimor as well, although so small that it’s not notable.

All of these farmers are small in terms of their landholding. Average farm size is 2.5 hectares in the entire valley. They often pick the coffee themselves or hire neighbors to help them. They all use hand crank depulping machines, ferment in concrete tanks, and wash in the same tanks å la Colombia. A few of them have channels for a density separation after washing. The climate can be rainy, also similar to Colombia, so many folks use parabolic beds for drying. The cooperative also offers drying services at their receiving stations, meaning they will dry coffee to proper moisture levels for the farmers if they want that done for them. Most farmers are far from town, though, and therefore cannot use this service."

Text from Barismo's listing.