Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Shankivironi was founded May 11, 2015 by 11 visionary coffee growers in Shankivironi, in the Pichanaki District of Junin’s Chamchamayo Province. Their goal was to improve the quality of life of smallholder coffee-producing families by offering efficient services, technical assistance, techniques for conserving the environment, loan management and guidance for improving quality and productivity.

As is traditional in Peru, Cafetalera Shankivironi is a washed coffee. Cooperative members wash and ferment beans on their own farms and dry the coffee in open spaces or in solar tents. They then deliver the beans to mill, where it's further processed and rested.

The co-op’s management aims to be transparent, democratic, participatory and competitive. Today, its membership includes 174 families who have qualified for certifications including Organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance. In the high mountains of Peru, members cultivate an average of 4.75 hectares of land. Approximately one-third of them farm in the buffer zone of the Pui Pui and San Matías nature preserves.

The Shankivironi community is part of the Ashaninka, an indigenous ethnic group as old as the Incas (and with a history entwined with them). Ashaninkas live mostly on the eastern side of the Andes, from mid Peru up to its northern border with Brasil. They have their own language and rich cultural traditions that they continue to celebrate.

Cupping notes: Dark chocolate, nutty and herbal.