Counter Culture started sourcing coffees from the Cajamarca region of Peru in 2001. Organic lots from the high mountains along Ecuador’s southern border serve as staples for a wide range of our products, from year-round offerings to single-farmer lots. In 2018, we began an exciting new relationship with an exporter called Origin Coffee Lab (OCL).
Jose Rivera, a longtime coffee professional with deep roots in Peru’s coffee trade, leads OCL. During our visits to northern Peru, we’ve spent time with Jose and the OCL staff, as well as some of the producers they work with in communities surrounding the large towns of Jaén and San Ignacio. We’re impressed with their attention to detail in every aspect of quality, sustainability, and transparency from the farm, to the cupping table, to the dry mill. We’re inspired by how well-aligned the vision of OCL is with Counter Culture’s.
During a recent visit to Damian’s farm, we encountered another round of investment—a large solar dryer that increases capacity for drying coffees. Natural-processed coffees typically take much more space to dry than washed, and Damian recently freed up space to produce a higher volume of naturals than in previous years. When we tasted this lot in OCL’s lab, the coffee stood out with expressive and clean flavors that we don’t often find in naturals produced in northern Peru. We’re excited to share Damian’s incredible coffee that expands the diversity of flavors on our menu.
