Consciente

Climate change is a reality and is one of the main challenges that face coffee growers nowadays. In their efforts to contribute in a positive way give back to the land, and make coffee greener, coffee growers are becoming more conscious on their farm practices. Initiatives taken by coffee growers, such as agroforestry and permaculture, where the common denominator has been to work alongside nature and respecting it. With this mentality, they create healthier ecosystems, welcoming more biodiversity of flora and fauna that finds perfect habitat on these coffee farms. Eventually, coffee trees will require less fertilizers and quality improves over time. These farmers are extremely conscious about the impact on the environment and the legacy being left behind to future generations.

This limited edition acknowledges those coffee farmers who consciously implement best practices and who are doing an effort to become greener. We can see these efforts in many ways and forms. For instance, protecting virgin forest around the farm areas, planting native trees for shade, respecting native animals, diversification of crops to have other incomes, respecting the sources of water with proper waste management, creating life barriers, usage of organic products, among other environmentally friendly practices. The steps being taken by these farmers are important because we see them as amazing role models for other coffee growers, and it will guarantee a land to work on for future generations, leaving a positive social and environmental footprint. Let’s consciously join them in making coffee greener!

Consciente is a coffee with likeminded producers who take care of the environment with environmentally friendly practices and sustainable. The coffee producers who contributed to this special lot are Paulino Cano Cervantes, Rogelio Lorotupa, Raul Gutierrez and Mesias Ibarra. All of them are producers from the southern province of La Convención in the department of Cusco. This is a diverse region with natural reservation and towards the eastern sides of the Andes, and as such its climate aected by the Amazon jungle. Their farms range from 4 to 10 hectares in size, with the area dedicated to coffee from 1,5 Hectares going up to 5 hectares. These four producers now of the importance of their footprint they and people cause on the environment and as such work to protect nature in their farms and recuperate the biodiversity that had been lost because of bad practices. They’re aware of the importance of being self-sustainable and as such, grow their own produce at the farm but also have other produce to sell to diversify their income such as avocado. The varieties found at these four farms are Typica, Bourbon, Caturra, Gesha and Catimor. The more seasoned producer of them is Mesias Ibarra, a widower, who has been working in coffee for 50 years and seen through his own eyes the change in coffee farming in this area. Then, we have Paulino Cano who started his journey in coffee 30 years ago being a 2nd generation coffee producer learning from his father. Following him, there is Rogelio who has been in coffee for 10 years and then Raul Gutierrez who has been in coffee for 8 years, inspired by his father-in-law who inherited the farm to Raul’s wife. Interestingly enough, the four of them started looking for quality in their coffee in 2018. This change brought upon because of the better prices they could get for their coffees and as such meant, working harder to achieve that quality. They adapted their farming practices, became more organized, started to understood fermentation times and the importance of a good drying to develop flavor. Also, as all of them have environmentally friendly practices, some have looked into having the organic certification. With this switch towards quality coffee, they have changed the varieties to others such as Bourbon and Gesha, which have given them better results in the cup.