Peru, San Ignacio | Bio-Organic, Washed

Chuquibamba community consists of organic coffee growers in the Chinchipe valley, situated in the province of San Ignacio (Cajamarca). The Chinchipe river is born right across the border in Ecuador and is a lifeline for most of the San Ignacian farmers. The river eventually flows into the Marañon, which is the principal source of the mighty Amazon river.

The mountains shaping the valley reach nearly 4000 meters above sea level. On these tops, you find the paramos, a unique ecosystem that can be hardly found in any other region in Peru. In the middle-high altitudes (1200–2000 masl), which cover 45% of the valley, you find tropical mountain forests full of biodiversity and excellent conditions for agriculture with an average humidity level of 800 mm/yr and an average temperature of 20-22 ℃. Here you can find all the coffee production.

San Ignacio is a region with good-spirited and hospitable people who are always happy to share a cup of coffee or a glass of Yunque (local spirit). While driving to the farms from town, you’ll pass by hamlets in the countryside called Miami, Washington, and Nueva York. A part of the farmers who contribute to this lot lives inside or close to the Tabaconas-Namballe National Sanctuary (Santuario Nacional Tabaconas-Namballe). This National Sanctuary was established in 1988 and protects the southernmost part of the Páramo ecosystem. The protected area spans 32,124.87 hectares in total. The main objective of the sanctuary is to conserve a representative sample of the paramo ecosystem, which houses a high quantity and diversity of genetic resources of flora and fauna species, including endangered species. In addition, the sanctuary seeks to contribute to the protection of the watersheds, the maintenance of the quality and quantity of the water resource in the area, and the development of the surrounding communities through economic activities that are compatible with the key objectives of the sanctuary. So the farming communities grow their produce without using chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, and all of them work with the agreement – not cut any native trees. In the case of production, coffee is only planted on previously unforested lands. In the sanctuary, there are rules and regulations, so there are different local associations that work together with the authorities, ensuring that the needs of the peasant communities are heard and that the decision-making processes are communal.