For many years, we've tasted and purchased a number of good coffees from southern Peru—particularly from the regions of Cusco and Puno. As we continued to pursue larger volumes of coffee for our year-round products, we had a hunch that we'd find great coffees grown in optimal microclimates from the best varieties with meticulous preparation. Yet, we didn't anticipate the extent to which these great coffees would be found throughout this southern stretch of isolated, rugged Peru.
The producer members of Valle Inca are scattered around the small community of Calca, a market hub and one of last stops for travelers journeying into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Señor Jose Prudencio, a producer himself, leads this collective by organizing coffee storage and transportation. He also operates a small cupping lab in Calca to monitor quality and promote their great work. After several years of operating as a loosely organized group, Prudencio formally organized the cooperative in 2020. That allowed the group to export coffee on their own and pursue organic and Fair Trade certification.
These farmers in the Yanatile and Lares river valleys grow mostly Bourbon and Typica varieties in addition to some Caturra. Illustrating their commitment to creating great coffee from these varieties, farmers take meticulous care in how these coffees are processed and dried. Many farms have a small de-pulper and most have ceramic-tile-lined fermentation and washing tanks—key tools for clean and consistent processing. Drying is almost exclusively done on raised beds in small solar dryers, a necessity in an area where sporadic, yet intense, rainfall can quickly hinder drying efforts.
Although these farmers are relatively isolated from one another, they remain connected by basic infrastructure. While dirt roads are often in disrepair and subject to landslides as they zig-zag along the steep valley walls, most farms are linked by walking paths where roads are not necessary or feasible.
