Introduction to Cajamarca, a coffee producing area in Peru, South America

In South America, there are volcanic soil and Andes, the climate is warm and humid, the rainfall is abundant, the climate is mainly tropical, and the growth conditions are very suitable for growing coffee, so there are many coffee producing countries, such as Colombia, Brazil, Peru and other countries. Among them, Peru is relatively low-key, but because of good mountains and good water, it can also produce good quality coffee beans.

Coffee came to Peru in the 18th century, but most of the coffee produced in Peru is for domestic consumption, so it is rarely exported. Until the end of the 19th century, when coffee leaf rust hit Indonesia, which was a major supplier of coffee in Europe, Europeans were looking for a new source of coffee, at a time when Peru owed loans to the British government. became an ideal new place to grow.

After two world wars, the big European countries began to sell their land in the Americas, and the land recovered by the Peruvian government was redistributed to the locals, from a large manor to small-scale farming. But after that, the government clashed with the Shining Road guerrillas, and the violence lasted for more than a decade, affecting local farmers and did not return to normal until 1992. By the mid and late 1990s, international coffee brands focused on buying coffee that met quality, economic, social and environmental performance standards, a move that contributed to the revival of Peruvian coffee production and made Peru one of the largest producers of organic coffee in the world.

Coffee grows well in Peru because of the country's topography and climate. Peru is located in western South America, with the Andes mountains stretching north and south, with mountains accounting for 1/3 of the country's area. The whole territory is divided into three regions from west to east. The western coastal area is an arid plain and also a tropical desert area, but irrigated agriculture is well developed. the central mountain plateau is mainly the middle part of the Andes, and the central and southern part is volcanic, with an average elevation of about 4300 meters. It is also the birthplace of the Amazon River, and the east is the Amazon rainforest region.

Peru is located in the tropics, but due to complex geographical conditions, the climate is also relatively diverse. Peru has 28 different climates. Coffee is mainly grown in the central Andes, because it is located on the plateau and has a tropical mountain climate. It is rainy in summer, and the temperature and humidity will decrease with the increase of altitude.

Peru is mainly divided into three coffee producing areas in the north, central and south, and is planted at an altitude of 1000-1800 meters. Among them, the coffee planting area in the north is 43% of the country in Peru, and the northern producing area of Cajamarca Cajamarca is more famous in recent years.

The Cajamarca region of Cajamarca is located in northern Peru, near the Ecuadorian border, high in the Andes. The area has a variety of landscapes, ranging from 1500 meters to 2600 meters above sea level, providing ideal conditions for coffee cultivation.

Here, basically small farmers with an area of 1 to 10 hectares grow coffee crops using traditional and sustainable farming methods, usually intercropping with other plants such as bananas, avocados and corn, which helps to maintain soil fertility and form the unique flavor characteristics of coffee beans. And farms in the region appear on the COE list all the year round, such as the 2023 champion Yoniser Mego Silva Farm.

Yoniser Mego Silva Farm, managed by Alto Mirador and his family, is located in Hahn City, Cajamarca District, and is planted up to 1990 meters above sea level. The farm was bought in 2000 as a traditional coffee plantation with Caturra, Typica, etc., and the estate was expanded to start planting rose varieties in 2020, before entering the COE competition in 2022, the second time in 2023, and winning the championship with a Rose Summer score of 90.74 points.