Peru doesn’t enjoy nearly the same celebratory status that its coffee-producing neighbours Colombia and Brazil do. This is largely a matter of quantity. Since the 1970s, the Central American country has lacked much of the infrastructure necessary for high-volume coffee production in even the commodity space, let alone the specialty scene. Coffee in Peru is largely grown on scattered smallholding farms, and many farmers have to send their coffee long distances to the nearest coffee mill. This often takes longer than is typically desired between harvest and processing, to the detriment of the final product’s quality. 

In recent years, though, more and more specialty Peruvian coffee lots have been making their way to the wider world, thanks to the hard work of coffee cooperatives like the Aromas del Valle Collective, who you can read about in Rosetta’s notes below. By pooling resources and knowledge, coffee cooperatives make it possible for smallholder farmers to access critical infrastructure and supply-chain nodes like processing mills and external markets, as well as improve the quality of their harvest. 

Your typical Peruvian coffee can be sweet and full-bodied, though often lacks complexity, but more specialty-grade Peruvian coffee is known for juicy fruit flavours. This particular lot comes from the Northern province of Cajamarca, a growing region that consistently features in Peru’s Cup of Excellence contests. Bordered by both the Andes mountain range and the Amazon rainforest, Cajamarca offers the climate, altitude and soil that Arabica coffee plants can thrive in, and is the origin of many fantastic Peruvian single-origin coffees. 

Rosetta Roastery's notes

Style: Classic
Flavour profile: Juicy and balanced, wine gums, syrupy sweetness

“[These are] high-density, hard beans. With this in mind, we gradually ramped up the temperature… by managing the environmental conditions of the roast, ensuring proper heat penetration. What followed this soak time was a short post-crack phase, which enhances aroma and sweetness without overshadowing this lot’s distinctive preserved fruit character.”

Coffee details from Rosetta

“Aromas Del Valle, a cooperative in the Cajamarca region of Northern Peru, was established in 2021. It consists of about 300 dedicated farmers, focusing on sourcing microlots and community blends from small family-run farms. There is an emphasis on collaboration among members to enhance cultivation techniques and quality.”

“This collective approach not only improves coffee production, but also fosters community development and skill sharing among the farmers. The "Cafe Selva Norte" project underpins their sustainability efforts, contributing to agroforestry and supporting environmental initiatives.”

• Altitude: 1500 - 2100 masl
• Processing: Washed
• Varieties: Mixed varieties
• Region: Cutervo, Cajamarca
• Country: Peru
• Producers: Smallholder farmers of the Aromas del Valle Collective
• Harvest: 2023