Peru La Convencion

Near the confluence of the Vilcanota and Yanatile rivers there live a number of coffee-growing communities. Dotting the peaks running adjacent to these river valleys are swaths of green, signs of native forest housing coffee gardens. In fact, much of the remaining forested area of this landscape is thanks to coffee cultivation, due to its requirement for shade cover. For years now, families have been cultivating typica and yellow caturra in the clay soils, under this diverse native shade, by organic methods. Inputs remain minimal, with current nutrition being provided by the environment of decaying plant matter and the occasional application of animal byproducts, such as guano. After the harvesting of ripe fruit, the cherries are pulped, fermented to break down break the mucilage, washed and then sun-dried. It was encouraging to see solar driers, which can be essential in ensuring the success of the critical drying stage in regions prone to rain and high humidity during the harvest. We had the opportunity to cup coffee with the farmers who grew it – their faces glowing with pride at each sip. We discussed how we might work together and thanked them for the tremendous attention to detail we noticed; it showed in the cup. Following our time in Peru, upon evaluating all of the regions visited and coffees tasted, it became clear that this particular community was the right fit for Caffe Vita.