Rutas del Inca

Description

High in the mountains of Cajamarca, the members of the Rutas del Inca cooperative have been quietly rebuilding. After being founded in 2013 by 33 coffee producing families, they grew slowly and organically, but hit a crisis during the pandemic. There were accusations of serious corruption against the previous leadership, leaving the organisation struggling even before the supply chain chaos that ensued during 2020. Exports dwindled, and members began to leave due to late payments. Several longstanding members came together with a plan to save the cooperative, securing funding from a Dutch NGO to assist with organic certification, EUDR compliance and an agroforestry project. For the 2025 harvest, the membership of the cooperative passed 300 families, many of which have been supported through certification, and with seedlings of new varietals. This has served to increase quality across the project, and transfer more value back to the member families. This part of Cajamarca is home to incredibly high altitudes; many members of Rutas del Inca farm at over 2000 masl, several up to 2400 masl. Many work in agroforestry systems with a mix of native secondary crops and shade trees. This lot is composed of the work of several of these producers, most of which grow Caturra and Catuai. This lot is bright delicate and sweet, with notes of orange, lemon and dried apricot.