Peru Bio Robusta and New Arabica Microlots
At the moment, our offerings are as narrow as they have ever been in our cumpa history, with only 5 coffees on offer. And that’s by design, just as we planned it. By selling off our existing stock, we were able to reorder fresh products, and the first batch arrived last week.
After not importing any microlots from Peru in 2022, we are back with fresh offerings. Among them are some tried-and-true classics and also some innovations. First and foremost, the biggest innovation: Peru Organic Robusta! Peru is officially a country with 100% Arabica production. However, the impact of climate change is becoming more noticeable even here, while legal changes like the Supply Chain Act continue to limit the agency of people in coffee cultivation. That’s why, as part of the Qoffee Qulture association’s work, we have been promoting Robusta coffee for several years. Yet, we were surprised to find that there has been Canephora in one location in Peru for over 40 years.
Since a forgotten government project in the early 1980s – even before terrorism plunged Peru into chaos – members of the Yanesha ethnic group cultivated various Canephora varieties hidden in the jungle. During our visit, we marveled at these majestic plants, which are significantly older than we are. With the help of a dedicated Dutchwoman, the topic gained fresh momentum in the early 2000s, and the cooperative was founded. The Marin family, who leads the cooperative, and the Yanesha were alone in their ambitions for Canephora for a long time. Other farmers, customers, roasters, and essentially everyone agreed that Canephora was a bad idea. Only in recent years does interest seem to be growing, as the impacts of climate change become more threatening, and at the same time, the Fine Robusta niche is better explored. In our conversations, it was immediately clear that we had met like-minded individuals.
From CEPRO Yanesha, we now receive 3 different Robusta lots from various altitudes. At the bottom of the valley is the indigenous community of San Pedro de Pichanaz, halfway up is a microlot from the two farmers Adrián and José, and the flagship is the Ave Fénix microlot from the Marin family’s namesake Finca. It is a special honor for us to present these exclusive microlots in Europe.
Our offering of Arabica microlots reflects the development of our existing partnerships. Jimmy Rojas and Finca Cascadas de Cueva have created 3 selected coffee lots for us. From Don Martin, Jimmy’s father, and his Finca La Piramide, we receive an exotic coffee fermented with various coffee kombuchas and the local Mamey Zapote fruit. Additionally, our longtime friend Gover Cueva has anaerobically fermented a Tipica lot for us. Our buddy, the Q Grader Morocho, has produced another microlot that brings the best of natural coffee production here on the edge of the Amazon basin into a juicy cup. Germán Carranza has also produced two coffees for us, which delights us greatly.