Our Coffee Farmers
The berry-picking path led him to his own farm
For David Nuñez in Peru, everything began with picking coffee berries. He followed the harvesting seasons from farm to farm, stopping where he got the best pay per kilo, all the while nurturing the dream of one day producing his own coffee. As time passed, with the money he saved from berry picking, he could finally buy his own farm – now David was a coffee producer at Finca el Cafetal in the San Ignacio province!
In 2017, Nuñez ventured into specialty coffee to enhance income and profitability. The farm is highly organized under his management, and his wife Betty is responsible for the finances. She also helps during the harvest, as everyone does, utilizing all available manpower. Thanks to coffee, David has consistently improved his income, bought more land, expanded production, and thus supported his family. To ensure and enhance quality harvest after harvest, he also built a new drying infrastructure. A direct result of the improved economy that started with following the path that berry picking laid out for him.
“If you work hard and pay attention to details, you can achieve amazing things and go far” – this is how David summarizes what life as a coffee grower has taught him. We are pleased to contribute to his continued development and coffee improvement by purchasing beans from his farm. And it's really tasty too, of course!
From a berry picking assistant to a special coffee icon
Carlos Vaaques grew up with coffee. During his upbringing living with his mother and grandparents, he always assisted with various small tasks at the nearby coffee farms during harvesting seasons. With the money he managed to save thanks to this, he bought his first piece of land, a 0.25-hectare plot, and began cultivating the Typica variety. Now, 30 years later, his farm is considerably larger. Together with his wife Nelva Guevara, he manages the El Guayquil farm in the northern mountains of Peru. For some years now, they have been exclusively producing specialty coffee. Thanks to the sustainable methods he employs, he has become a role model and reference for other coffee producers in the area! We love to be a part of his developing business and focus on sustainability by serving coffee made of his beans!
With coffee she shaped a future of her own
When EudosiaPuellesTroys was a little girl, her parents told her the legend of the enormous bear that lived in a cave right at the entrance to their farm. This legend has given the farm its name: La Cueva, which means 'the cave'. Now, Eudosia runs the farm located in northern Peru, near the border with Ecuador. The area of San Jose del Alto, in the province of Jaen, is known for its fantastic coffee, where all producers strive to constantly improve the quality. Eudosia started working with coffee after separating from her husband; it became a way for her to shape her own future. Here, she lives with her daughter Leslie, who also helps with some of the tasks. Like many other producers, Eudosia hires staff for picking and maintenance so that she can focus on the processes, drying methods, and managing the operation. Finding ways to constantly improve the quality of the coffee while also taking care of the environment, such as planting shade trees, is the biggest challenge.The coffee berries are ripe when they are 'wine-colored', and after being picked and pulped on the same day, they are placed in a traditional tank—tiled and covered. Here, they ferment for 36 hours before being washed and sun-dried for 5 to 12 days depending on the climate.We’re happy to be a part of making EudosiaPuellasTroys’s dream of constantly produce better coffee by buying and serving her high-quality beans!
Coffee runs in the family!
It's not entirely uncommon for coffee cultivation to be a family tradition, and that's also the case with El Roble farm. Jean Willian is the second-generation coffee producer, he took over the farm from his parents, and his current family - his wife Vilma ZuritaChinguel - is also involved in the business. Their son helps out as weill whenever he can, when he's not in school!Jean took over the farm in 1998 at the age of 19 and has since learned a great deal about achieving profitability in coffee production, the importance of good fertilization, slow drying, careful berry picking, and the significance of fermentation to reach the best quality. Vilma oversees the staff as they need to hire additional labor during harvest.The farm, named after some oak trees Jean planted and cares for, is located in the province of La Coipa in northern San Ignacio. The area is called Cajamacra and is renowned for its coffee production. Since 2020, El Roble exclusively cultivates specialty coffee, and Jean now aims to replace Caltimor with Bourbon, a variety he greatly admires. Besides coffee, they also grow vegetables on the farm. They also sell homegrown granadilla, a type of passion fruit, at the local market.After the coffee berries are carefully picked, they are taken to the wet mill on the farm where the harmed and unriped berries are sorted out. The next step is pulping and putting the beans in GrainPro bags for a 28-hour long fermentation. The final step before the beans are ready to roast is laying flat drying in the sun for 15 to 20 hours!
Being a major coffee buyer we’re able to contribute to Garcia's development and expansion of really good specialty coffee. Something we find both enjoyable and important!
