Peru - Elmer Fernandez Perez - Washed, Organic

Awesome Single Origin Espresso, Brew or Pour Over

Certification: Organic

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, andbeans. They carefully harvest, sort and float cherries to remove less dense or damaged seeds before depulping, fermenting, washing, and drying the coffee using their own micro-mills.

This particular micro-lot was produced by Elmer Fernandez Perez, who is a member of a producer groupcalled Comité La Higuera. His 7 acre farm, called El Barejón is located in the community of La Higuerain Colasay district, near the city of Jaen, in the Cajamaja region.

During the harvest, cherries are carefully harvested and sorted and floated to remove damaged andless dense beans before depulping, fermenting for 48 hours, washing, and drying on raised beds atthe micro-mill located on the farm.

Farm management and post-harvest solutions are designed to fit the producer’s needs, but producersalso need a strong alliance to bring their coffee to the international market and earn fair prices. Origin Coffee Lab, an organization established to assist small producers access the specialty coffee marketcarries out activities that often go unnoticed but are crucial for producers managing small farms. Inaddition to helping producers learn best practices for cultivating and processing coffee, Origin CoffeeLab coordinates warehouse logistics, as well as, traceability and quality control throughout the postharvest process. The goal is to earn better income so producers can reinvest in their farms and strengthen their families’ livelihoods. With rising cup quality over the past few years, Origin Coffee Labhas established premiums from coffee exports, which is returned to the producers.

Thanks to Brandon at Royal Coffee for helping me source this wonderful coffee.