Peru Kukipata
Dark Chocolate • Walnut • Honeycomb

Location: Cusco, Peru
Elevation: 6900ft
Variety: Typica, Catimor, Bourbon
Processing: Washed
Harvest Period: September 2023

From our friends at Red Fox:

"Inkawasi Valley’s Kukipata community is one of the most remote and inaccessible coffee-growing areas in Peru. Getting there is an immense challenge.

The route begins in the city of Cusco, which takes us approximately 5 hours to the city of Quillabamba. On this route we traverse a variety of altitudes, topping out at 4,136 masl in the Abra Malaga. Once in Quillabamba, it takes another 6 hours through rugged switchback roads hugging high-elevation drops to reach the Inkawasi Valley, plus 2 more to reach the Kukipata community.

Kukipata community started growing coffee in the 1960s. Located in the middle of the Cusco Andes, this community is native to this area—perhaps unsurprisingly, since reaching it from other regions is so difficult. Farm heights here are varied, meaning that Kukipata’s harvest runs from May to November.

The producers in the area mostly grow Typica, Catimor and Bourbon varieties, using organic fertilizers produced on their farms alongside native shade trees such as Pacay or Aliso.

They use an ancient Inca technique called Ayni, a practice of communal workshare and mutual support, at harvest time as well as in general. After harvest, the coffees are fermented for 20 to 24 hours in fermentation tanks, then they are dried for 10 to 12 days (depending on climate) on solar dryers or raised beds.

The producers grow other crops such as beans, corn, cassava and fruits for family consumption. The name Kukipata is Quechua, meaning “Abundant Moon.”

One of the main challenges for this community are periods of drought that affect the coffee crop in potentially devastating ways. These periods are becoming more marked and longer each year, which the locals attribute to global warming."