Grower: Edith Meza Sagarvinaga & Ivan Meza Sagarvinaga, Finca Tasta
Altitude: 1550 masl
Variety: Caturra
Soil: Clay Minerals
Region: Challhuamayo community, Laylla district, Satipo province, Junín region, Peru
Process: Full natural and dried in the sun
Harvest: May - August
Certification: Conventional
Coffee Background
We are fortunate to work with a rare example of next generation producers who look to take the path less traveled in Peru. Edith and Ivan Meza are a brother and sister team and second generation coffee producers who own and manage Finca Tasta, a 56-acre estate that has 19 acres cultivated with coffee and 22 acres of natural preserved forest. In addition to coffee, Edith and Ivan produce plantains, yucca, tomatoes, sugarcane, raspberries, and pumpkins. Finca Tastahas become a major source of employment for people who live in the nearby community of Challhuamayo. The farm has 6 full-time employees and 36 additional people employed during the harvest. Edith is an active member of the International Women’s Coffee Alliance (IWCA) in Peru. Through her activism in the IWCA, the International Trade Centre awarded Edith with the opportunity to visit Seattle during the Specialty Coffee Expo. The trip inspired a desire to begin diversifying the post-harvest processing at Finca Tasta. This natural processed coffee is the result of that inspiration. The cherry was carefully harvested and sorted before being placed on raised beds for drying. Edith and Ivan are also roasting their coffee for national consumption, which has helped them innovate their post harvest strategies.