Origins of the Lacco Valley Coop
Last week we sold the last of Alejandro and Cleofe’s coffee, of @cafe.origenes in Cusco, Peru, and sent Luke, the coop manager, a little over $1.60 from every lb of coffee sold who delivered it to them in cash.
Our goal was to get it as close to US$1,000 as possible and we were able to get it to the full amount with the help of our buds at Trident Cafe & Booksellers in Boulder, CO chipping in the remaining amount.
Two years ago we received an introduction to the Origins of the Lacco Valley Coop (Café Orígenes) after participating in some market research that was being conducted on how the indigenous Quechua farmers of the area might be able to gain market access for their coffees in North America. During the market research we learned a lot about their work, their dedication to stewarding the land, and their focus on improving farmer pay alongside cup quality, and we became enthralled by the idea of buying their coffees.
This year was the first time Alejandro and Cleofe had their coffee isolated and exported with their name on it. The more we had learned about the coop and Alejo and Cleofe the more we wanted to invest in the potential for them to see continued success of their work on the farm and with the coop that they helped cofound.
Alejandro and Cleofe’s families have farmed coffee for multiple generations, and are founders of the new Lacco Valley Coop, which consists of 40 families who farm in the remote Mapacho River basin. There is no road to these farms – all coffee and supplies requires a 2 hour walk from the main road, and mules are used to transport the harvested coffee up and down the steep hillsides to trucks that transport the coffee to the mill.
It was truly a crowd favorite for its entire time on the menu and so the BIGGEST thank you to you, and to everyone who purchased and supported their coffee and helped invest into the future of Alejandro and Cleofe 🤞🫶
By Ricky Dyson.
<<< Their daughter!!!
