About this Coffee
Interested in supporting women in coffee? This is the coffee for you! When we unite with quality-focused female producers we know we are supporting an underrepresented population of the coffee growing community and helping to create more equity in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Our new El Lechero Peru was harvested by Herlinda Manchay Cruz, who processed this microlot on her 6 acre farm El Lechero. Herlinda and her family own a micro-mill where carefully harvested cherries are depulped, fermented for 36 hours, washed to remove the mucilage, then dried on raised beds. This lovely organic coffee is what we refer to as an “easy sipper.” It’s comfortable, sweet, and mouth-coating. We taste clementine, milk chocolate toffee, cashew, strawberry, rhubarb, sweet pea, and apricot. Bottom line: this is a great everyday, female-forward coffee with lovely chocolate and fruit notes.
Coffee in Peru and Aroma del Valle. In Peru, the bulk of coffee production comes from small farms owned and managed by people who follow organic farm management practice attuned to their cultural connection with the land. Producers typically cultivate coffee on just a few acres of land intercropped with shade trees and other crops. While producers design farm management and post-harvest solutions to fit their needs, many growers (including Herlinda) work closely with Aroma del Valle, an organization established to assist small producers in accessing the specialty coffee market and ensure growers are paid a fair price. Aroma del Valle also provides additional support for small growers including investments in basic infrastructure needs (like road improvements), establishing local warehouses, and preparing coffee for export.