Peru Juan Santos Atahualpa Fairtrade Organic is grown in the Pichanaqui, Chanchamayo, and Junin regions. Adjacent to the forest and at the foot of the highlands, coffee here grows between 900-1800 masl in sheltered microclimates.
The coffee is hand and machine pulped using a mechanical pulper. Use of this machine reduces water use and increases efficiency. Because while pulping, it simultaneously sorts cherry, allowing only soft– and therefore ripe- cherry to pass through. Approximately 40% of the pulp is left on the coffee for fermentation. (Fermentation time varies depending on the altitude, with an average time of 12 hours.) Then the coffee is washed and floated. Next it is dried on a concrete patio and additionally in Solar Dryers, totaling 6 days. Altogether, this thorough drying approach produces even moisture content and stable water activity. In effect, Peru Juan Santos Atahualpa Fairtrade Organic is consistent, clean and balanced in the cup.
The Cooperative
Cooperativa Agroecologica Industrial Juan Santo Atahualpa was founded on October 16, 2011 with 20 partners. Presently they consist of 617 producers from the Pasco and Junin regions, and the provinces of Chanchamayo, Satipo and Oxapampa.
Their main strength is the knowledge of producer members. These individuals have over 10 years of experience cultivating specialty grade coffee using organic practices. They provide members with Organic, Fairtrade, Biosuisse, Naturland, Utz, and Practices certifications. Therefore, every year Cooperativa Agroecologica Industrial Juan Santo Atahualpa provides services such as fertilizer delivery to Cooperative Partners.
Equally important as agricultural sustainability is sustainable business. Cooperativa Agroecologica Industrial Juan Santo Atahualpa operates with sustainable development at the forefront. In practice, this manifests as efficient and decentralized organization. Their approach has multiple benefits. First, uniting partners creates long-term stability. Second, it commercializes their production in order to access new markets. To best support partners’ stable growth, the Cooperative provides marketing, credit, training and technical services.
