About This Coffee
Managed by the Solorzano Family, Finca La Margarita is a 3.5-hectare farm located in the Ocobamba subregion of Cusco, Peru. Since pioneering coffee cultivation and processing in 2017, the farm has been a model of innovation and sustainability. It is operated by Marco Solorzano with up to 18 family members, including sons, daughters and their families, many of whom are trained baristas or have specialized coffee expertise.
Cultivation
Known for its organization and modernization, Finca La Margarita integrates forest restoration efforts to promote biodiversity alongside excellent coffee management. Locally and internationally recognized for its high-quality production, the farm grows Bourbon, Sidra and Geisha varieties, all cultivated under the shade of native trees to encourage healthy plant growth and preserve the environment.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Starting before sunrise, the Solorzano family selectively handpicks ripe red cherry and processes it on their farm. Once selected, the cherries are transported to the family processing unit where they are floated to remove any underripe or defective cherry.
In the first stage of processing, the washed cherry is placed in sealed containers for 32 hours to separate and eliminate leachates, which are drained three times a day. The coffee is then partially dried and then fermented a second time for 36 hours in containers with airlocks to release CO₂ without introducing oxygen. This prevents unwanted oxidation before the controlled oxidation process begins. This promotes the growth of specific microorganisms and removes unwanted acidity in the cherry.
Then parchment is laid on six-tier steel drying beds where coffee is evenly spread to ensure controlled drying uniformity. It takes approximately 18 days for parchment to dry.
Coffee in Peru
Peru holds exceptional promise as a producer of high-quality coffees. The country is the largest exporter of organic Arabica coffee globally. With extremely high altitudes and fertile soils, the country’s smallholder farmers also produce some stunning specialty coffees.
Though coffee arrived in Peru in the 1700s, very little coffee was exported until the late 1800s. Until that point, most coffee produced in Peru was consumed locally. When coffee leaf rust hit Indonesia in the late 1800s, a country central to European coffee imports at the time, Europeans began searching elsewhere for their fix. Peru was a perfect option.
Between the late 1800s and the first World War, European interests invested significant resources into coffee production in Peru. However, with the advent of the two World Wars, England and other European powers became weakened and took a less colonialist perspective. When the British and other European land owners left, their land was purchased by the government and redistributed to locals. The Peruvian government repurchased the 2 million hectares previously granted to England and distributed the lands to thousands of local farmers. Many of these farmers later grew coffee on the lands they received.
Today, Peruvian coffee growers are overwhelmingly small scale. Farmers in Peru usually process their coffee on their own farms. Most coffee is Fully washed. Cherry is usually pulped, fermented and dried in the sun on raised beds or drying sheds. Drying greenhouses and parabolic beds are becoming more common as farmers pivot towards specialty markets.
After drying, coffee will then be sold in parchment to the cooperative. Producers who are not members of a cooperative will usually sell to a middleman.
The remoteness of farms combined with their small size means that producers need either middlemen or cooperatives to help get their coffee to market. Cooperative membership protects farmers greatly from exploitation and can make a huge difference to income from coffee. Nonetheless, currently only around 15-25% of smallholder farmers have joined a coop group.