About This Coffee
Ernesto and his family set the tone with selective handpicking. That attention carries through to controlled fermentations on their farm, Intiwatana, where they are refining a two-step processing approach. The goal is consistency and a clear expression of their work at 2,050 meters.
"Intiwatana" (also spelled Intihuatana) is a Quechua term meaning "where the sun is tied or hitched". It primarily refers to a specific type of Incan carved stone, believed to be an astronomical calendar or clock used to track the seasons for agricultural purposes. Perhaps the most famous of these stones is located at Machu Picchu!
Cultivation
Like most farmers in the region, Ernesto and his family farm a small plot of land (3 hectares) at very high altitudes. Yanatile sits in the eastern slopes of the Andes in the Cusco region, at elevations favorable for specialty Arabica coffee. The varied terrain creates microclimates that can support nuanced flavor profiles, and the forests and valleys accommodate shaded coffee systems.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ernesto learned new fermentation techniques alongside the Valle Inca team and then put them into practice with his family at his farm. They begin with selective handpicking to ensure clean cherry. For this lot, they apply a double fermentation method. Cherry is first washed, then fermented whole for 12 hours. After pulping, coffee ferments an additional 36 hours, for a total of 48 hours. Following fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and set to dry on raised beds under shade for about 16 days.
About Bourbon
Bourbon is a specialty coffee darling known for its excellent cup quality and good performance at high altitudes. The variety is susceptible to the major diseases, which can make it difficult to grow. Bourbon traces its heritage back to Yemen. French missionaries introduced Bourbon from Yemen to Bourbon Island (now known as La Reunion) in the early 1700s. Bourbon takes its name from the island where it prospered. Bourbon has had a huge effect on modern coffee varieties as one of the major ascensions for many varieties grown across the world. Today, Bourbon is available in both yellow and red varieties.
Valle Inca
Jose Prudencio founded Valle Inca in 2015. He is coffee man through and through and native to the region. He saw the rise and fall of the major secondary cooperative, COCLA, through his parents who were coffee farmers in the region. When COCLA collapsed, coffee farmers in the region struggled to access services and sell their coffees at fair prices. After working several farming-related jobs, Jose formed Valle Inca to serve coffee farmers in his home region and beyond.
Jose Prudencio is the driving force behind Valle Inca, he is supported by a small team of locals, many of them are the young adult children of coffee growers who belong to Valle Inca. The main focus of Valle Inca lies on improving living conditions for farmers through production of high quality coffee. By applying good agricultural practices and renovating with varieties focused on cup quality, Valle Inca has managed to turn things around for the 400+ producers in the network. With the vital support from an organisation like Valle Inca, producers are making fair wages and able to invest in their farms again.
For high-end lots in smaller volume with producer traceability, Cusco is a treasure trove. Prices for Valle Inca suppliers are higher than with other suppliers in the country, which is directly benefiting the producers behind each coffee. With the premiums, farmers are managing to improve their houses, invest in the farm and take good care of their families. Valle Inca exports to international markets as well as to the local market. You can find the coffees from the network in specialty coffee shops across the country.
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.