Peru Organic, Fair Trade, APROCASSI/ Dark Roast

Cupping Notes: Balanced, medium acidity, medium body, some spiciness, notes of baking chocolate and a syrupy-sweet finish.

Our Peru Organic is produced by the APROCASSI Cooperative in the Peruvian Andes of San Ignacio and Cajamarca on plots ranging in altitude from 3,900 to 5,900 feet. Known locally as The Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples de San Ignacio and Cajamarca, APROCASSI was established in 2000 and now claims membership to 452 small farmers who produce their Caturra, Typica, Pache and Catimor varietals in addition to a variety of supplemental organic cash crops. Since its founding, APROCASSI has heavily invested in worker training programs with a focus on improvements in quality and production output. 

Peru is the world’s largest producer of organic coffee, accounting for 30,000+ tons of annual green coffee exports. What’s more, Peru contains nearly 220,000 acres of organic coffee farms, the majority of which use natural shade at high elevations in the northern portion of the nation’s Andes. Many of Peru’s farmers have been using natural shade and other generations-old, essentially “organic” techniques for years, and long ago made the determination that organic certification offered them the best potential income compared to neighboring, non-organic regions. Peruvian farms that use natural shade promote healthy ecosystems and preserve indigenous forests by providing sanctuary for local bird populations, who in turn control pests and insects, and help farmers avoid a reliance on chemicals and pesticides. Organic standards require all fertilizers and composts to be organic in nature, which goes hand-in-hand with Peru’s (and many other nation’s) traditional growing methods such as natural shade and the recycling coffee pulp, mulch and manure for compost. Overall coffee is Peru’s largest agricultural export, making them the world’s ninth largest producer of non-organic arabica.

Peru’s Cajamarca region was historically part of the Incan empire and today has a number of areas that remain strong centers of international tourism. The capital city of the region, also named Cajamarca, rests at the base of the Andes as a beautifully preserved, Spanish colonial-era township replete with its own sights and destinations. The region has an excellent sub-tropical climate, fertile soil and a mild rainy season that make it well suited for arabica production. 14oz can.