The San Ignacio Province sits at the top of the Cajamarca region in Northern Perú sharing a border to the north with Ecuador. Here the western and eastern mountain ranges of the Andes meet to form microclimates in the buttresses and valleys that descend from the mountains to the Amazon basin. The farms are located in the buffer zones of a protected natural area, and have seen spectacled bears, cock-of-the-rocks, jaguars and peccaries within their boundaries. This means working with an organic methodology and certification is a strategic point because through these standards, a culture of protection of wildlife and species in danger of extension is encouraged and created.
Such microclimates present perfect opportunities to grow coffee, and the cooperative offers 330 members that embody it the chance to increase quality via improved access to services such as technical assistance, financial support, social services and the facilities to cup the crop they are growing. With cupping and grading providing the final sorting options, it means the control is there for a great quality cup, and the extra revenue this earns can be reflected in the price paid to the farmer.
The parchment coffee is delivered into the warehouses of the cooperative in San Ignacio town, where each batch is evaluated for physical appearance and then is tasted at the quality laboratory and separated according to quality and certification. They are then transported to the dry processing plant in Chiclayo city. The dry-processing facility is where they process not only their own coffee but also coffee from several other organizations of small-scale growers (approx. 27 co-ops). The export department is based here as well as another quality control laboratory with well-trained staff, and is certified too.
