Peru, Soritor San Martin Finca Esperanza  

Single Estate 

Notes: Bakers Chocolate, Sweet tangerine, Peach and Almond

Roast: Medium (City+)

Varietal: Caturra, Typica, Catimor

Elevation: 1100 - 1200m

Process: Washed and Sun Dried

Farmer: Walter Gutierrez 

Our shade grown Peru Organic Finca La Esperanza is sourced from a small 2.5 acre section of a family farm in Soritor village in San Martin. All of La Esperanza’s coffee trees are in the first few seasons of production, with ages ranging between three and six years. Our Peru Organic La Esperanza has a sweet aroma with notes of bakers cocoa, sweet tangerine and peach. It has a very good acidity and mouthfeel with a dry almond note on the finish.

Producers Walter Gutierrez and his family moved east to Soritor from Cajamarca looking to improve their quality of life, and purchased the 29 acre Finca La Esperanza in 2007. At that time the farm was abandoned and in disrepair, consisting only of grasslands, trees, small ponds and some wild animals. Indeed other farms in the area were in much better condition, but the family did not have the available resources to purchase them. La Esperanza’s previous owner felt his land was only suited for producing basic crops like corn, and as such he sold it at a discounted rate. The Gutierrez family wisely estimated it’s value to be much higher were it renovated to become more productive and eventually produce a Peru organic coffee.

The family initially began planting coffee and corn, overtime turning to cocoa and later even constructing a small fish pond. In doing so the family demonstrated that there is no such thing as “bad land”, and that it is in fact possible to achieve a higher standard of living producing high quality coffee and all your own food from the same farm. Mindful of future generations and the need to sustain a productive and healthy ecosystem, the Gutierrez’s planted even more trees both for shade as well as the farm’s overall benefit. As time went by with coffee yields increasing and having received organic certification, they began conducting tests on their fermentation processes, which have significantly improved their cup profile.

Peru is home to 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, that in turn control pests and insects, and help farmers avoid a reliance on chemicals and pesticides. Peru Organic coffee 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. Coffee is Peru’s largest agricultural export, making them the world’s largest producer of organic coffee with 30,000+ tons exported each year. They are also the world’s ninth overall largest producer of non-organic arabica.

Located directly east of Peru’s Cajamarca region, San Martin is largely rainforest with an occasional small, picturesque town accessible by small roads. There are a number of national parks within the region whose jungles, swimming holes and incredible waterfalls are enjoyed by locals and tourists alike. Tarapoto, the largest municipality in San Martin has an abundant bird population and offers access to numerous nearby waterfalls. As a whole the region features a sub-tropical climate, fertile soil and a mild rainy season that make it well suited for the production of arabica coffee.