PRODUCER
This coffee comes from the El Guayaquil farm in the Chirinos district of Cajamarca, known for growing the best Peruvian coffee. Cleyder and his wife Marina farm on an area of only three hectares, at an altitude of almost 1,800 meters. The coffee is grown under the shade of trees, the local guabas pajuros, and fertilized with island guano and compost. Both husband and wife have been growing coffee for more than 20 years, so they know how important the speed of harvesting is. They, therefore, hire six additional seasonal pickers to help during the harvest season.
PROCESSING
After the harvest, the coffee is washed and left for 16 hours to rest. Initially, it is dried in reduced sunlight and moved constantly to ensure even drying. The drying period can last between 25 and 30 days. Once dried the coffee is stored in plastic and rested. Then it is transported to Falcon Coffees‘ warehouse in Jaen where it is assessed for quality and priced. From there, it goes to Café Selva Norte SAC where checked for any defects before being bagged and moved to the coast for shipping.
VARIETY
Catuai is a hybrid between the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. The plant is rather small and productive which allows it to grow big amounts of coffee in a small area. Catuai is prone to pests and diseases such as coffee rust but thanks to its compact size is easy to treat and protect.
The Pache variety is a natural mutant of Typica. It is small in size which allows for denser planting, produces cherries of big size and is rather productive. Unfortunately, it is very prone to diseases. It is recommended to grow Pache in altitudes over 1,200 masl, and specifically in Peru over 1,400 masl.
Catimor is a variety of small size and high resistance agaiqnst coffee rust and other diseases. It is popular for its very high productivity which, on the other hand, requires more care as the plant can be easily overloaded.