The consolidation of this lot (produced by Don Antonio Regalado, Belver Gonza, Humberto Regalado, Evert Vega and Norbil Campos) was led by Orlando Flores, who has been working closely with these producers since 2021. Orlando has created a system with Collective Bean to support producers in the village of El Diamante to improve the quality of their coffee and to connect them to a stable international marketplace.
Orlando collects each producer’s coffee at the end of harvest and makes a first payment to them at an agreed price (providing them with a fast and reliable return on their work). He and Collective Bean cup and score samples to select which coffees can be consolidated, based on their quality and profile. They then agree on the second payment for each producer, based on quality, thereby increasing the producer’s profits. To ensure a transparent process, Collective Bean also maintains an open line of communication with each producer.
In parallel, Collective Bean train Orlando on improving both coffee quality and yield which he can share with the producers. Recently, this has included teaching how to measure and ensure the optimal moisture content of the beans, and identifying defects – both of which are essential for producing specialty grade coffee. On some occasions the farmers also travel
with Orlando to Jaen to participate in the cupping and grading sessions.
The coffees in this exclusive communal lot underwent a similar washed process: the cherries were fermented in plastic sacks for 24-48 hours then washed and laid on raised beds in tents to dry for 15-20 days. The result is an excellent coffee from this region - vibrant, bursting with berries and a milk chocolate sweetness.
TASTES LIKE:
Orange, Peach
ORIGIN:
San Jose de Lourdes, Peru
VARIETALS:
Red Caturra, Yellow Caturra, Bourbon and Cartimore
PROCESS:
Washed
ALTITUDE:
1,700 - 1,900 masl
