El Palto ORGANIC, Peru | ESPRESSO

High altitudes, ideal climates, and nutrient-rich soil in the Cajamarca region of Peru allow for the production of high-quality and organic coffee. Maria Gloria Neira Santos runs her farm, El Palto, in this region situated in the town of El Cautivo, around 1.5 hours from the association’s headquarters in Jaen; high in Peru’s Cajamarca department. Translating to mean “the avocado,” this farm was named after the many avocado trees, interlaced throughout the coffee.

At 1,850 meters above sea level, El Palto reaps in the benefit of slow maturation of coffee cherries–helping to improve the quality of coffee in a natural way. Maria and her husband conduct all of the agricultural work on the farm which includes consistent selective tree pruning to maintain the quality of the crop and to increase its yield. Farmers work in 15-year rotations, focusing on each variety individually. When a plant reaches the end of its 15-year life cycle, it will be dramatically cut back using the ‘Zoca’ practice. This sees the tree cut back to the stem just 30 centimetres from the ground, stimulating the emergence of new growth. In preparation for this event, trees of the same variety are planted two years in advance, meaning there is an uninterrupted supply of mature cherry.