Yonal Fernandez / Peru

Yonal Fernandez produces coffee alongside his wife Imelda, his parents, siblings and cousins in the village of Vencedor, in the Colasay district of Jaén in northern Peru. His farm covers three hectares at elevations above 1,750 metres, making it a medium-sized farm by Peruvian standards.

Members of the Fernandez family each run their own farms in Colasay, growing coffees with a pronounced sweetness that conveys a greater sense of cherry ripeness than those of other producers in the area. Their yields are also consistent, and we purchase coffee from Yonal's sister Merci and his aunt Mareyla as well.

The variety grown here is Bourbon de Colasay. This local variety emerged through a mutation in the region and combines ease of cultivation with high cup quality. On most farms in Colasay, it accounts for nearly 100% of the coffee trees planted, making it a variety deeply rooted in this land.

During the harvest, the family also relies on the help of pickers. Many hands are needed to ensure the cherries are picked at just the right moment of ripeness.

Cherries picked by hand early in the morning go straight into a water tank. Overripe and defective cherries are less dense and float to the surface, where they are removed. The following morning, a mechanical depulper removes the skin and flesh, and the coffee is fermented in bags or small tanks for approximately 24 hours to break down and remove the mucilage.

In Peru, many producers carry out every stage from harvesting to drying on their own farms. The Fernandez family also handles all processing at their on-farm beneficio, using a small pulper, wooden tanks and concrete fermentation tanks.

It is rare for small-scale producers to have African drying beds. Most dry their coffee on plastic sheets laid on the ground in the shade, or in small polypropylene tents. Drying takes 12–25 days, bringing the moisture content down to 9–11%. Even with limited equipment, coffee can express its full potential when the work is carried out carefully and precisely.

Following our visit two years ago, we returned to the farm with Yonal's sister Merci. The land planted with coffee trees is steep, and even walking across it is challenging. Only by standing on those slopes did we truly appreciate how demanding the work must be during harvest.

Yonal is developing a new farm at around 2,000 metres above sea level and appears to be aiming to begin shipments this year or next. At both La Mandarina and the new farm, plants and fruit grew abundantly on the steep slopes. The lulo, too sour to eat much of on its own, left a particularly memorable impression.