Bacán Bacán

Many smallholders in Peru find themselves joining democratically run cooperatives, organisations designed to elevate the impact of individuals with a few hectares to the same level as large estates or conglomerates. Bacán Bacán is from the Lima Coffee cooperative in Cajamarca where most members wet-mill their own coffee before bringing it to the co-op, usually the same day as it is picked. The depulped cherry is given a 12-18 hour open-air fermentation before being rinsed of the sticky mucilage. Drying can vary based on conditions and locations, often on patios and raised beds, sometimes mechanically if required and resources permit. It can be hard to pin down specific varieties in smallholder co-ops like Lima coffee, we can narrow the scope to assume most of the coffee is a combination of Catimor, Caturra, Bourbon and Typica. Cajamarca benefits from the fertile soil from the Andean mountains, smallholders in the area employ organic farming techniques and contribute to Fair Trade Organic lots like this one. We don’t often seek out coffees for their badges, accolades and certifications, as the required standards for Fair Trade or Organic coffee production can sometimes be exclusionary and expensive, which is not to say that producers aren’t meeting or exceeding these standards. We let our partners choose to spend their money and resources as they wish and do not want to exclude quality and aligned producers who choose not to apply for these certifications.