El Guabo Organic

El Guabo is produced by an association of small producers in the San Ignacio region of Peru’s Northern Highlands. This association is made up of four small committees, numbering over 120 families in total.

Coffee is the mainstay of the local economy and the community lives from what it earn selling the coffee beans. Farms are small and traditional - each averaging only 3 hectares in size. Many households also grow other crops such as bananas, yucca and corn to feed their families and supplement their income.

The El Guabo farms use no chemical pesticides or fertilizers, and all are fully organic certified. The coffee is grown under the protective shade of native trees, which also provide habitat for a diverse range of bird, animal and insect species. The harvest usually runs from May until September, when the cherries are picked by hand when fully ripe. The beans are then fully washed and dried in the sun.

The average family size is 7 (mother, father and 5 children). They work as a unit – the father works all day in the field tending the coffee bushes, while the mother combines looking after the children with working in the fields and at the mill. When they are old enough the children of El Guabo attend the primary school in the community, before graduating to the secondary school in the local town.

The role of the women at El Guabo is central to the success and prosperity of the community. Women participate actively not only in all the stages of the harvest but also in the many and varied cultural activities in the community. Usually they are also responsible for the overseeing their family’s finances.

Cupping Date: 

24 November 2011

Cup: 

Clean

Sweetness: 

Mellow

Acidity: 

Mild

Mouthfeel: 

Medium body

Flavour: 

Red fruit Orange Dark Chocolate Clove

Overall: 

A mellow sweetness and mild acidity, complemented by notes of clove, dark chocolate, orange and red fruit.