Coop. J.G. Condorcanqui

Founded in 1969, Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui, or Coop. J.G. Condorcanqui, is one of the oldest cooperatives in the Canchaque region of Northern Piura, Peru. It is named after an indigenous hero, who in 1780, aware of dissatisfaction with colonial rule, led a rebellion to improve the rights of indigenous Peruvians suffering under the Spanish Bourbon Reforms.

Coop Condorcanqui is a member of Cooperativa Norandino, a second level non-profit organization serving its cooperative members’ marketing, financing, and technical training needs. “Prior to 1990, nearly 100% of Sierra Piurana coffee was natural process,” says Norandino manager Santiago Paz. “This Canchaque coffee was famous worldwide for its special flavor profile.” The producers themselves say that recovering the Cafe Canchaque is both sentimental and a smart marketing move, creating a unique niche and distinguishing the region as one of the only producers of high quality, unwashed Peruvian coffees.

Coop Candorcanqui has almost 200 members spread across five casilleros, which represents the vast majority of the local population in the region. 100 producers live in the town of Coyona itself, with coffee fields located between 1,000 and 1,600 meters above sea level. This kind of proximity and cohesion is rare in rural cooperatives, offering their members greater opportunities for community impact and development.

Since 2012, Cooperative Coffees has been working with Norandino to revive the traditional natural process coffees of the Canchaque region. Norandino and Coop Condorcanqui saw the first successful fruits of their labour during the 2012 harvest, when the farmers around Coyona produced three small-lots of natural process coffee! Characterised by its consistently sweet blend of tropical fruit and caramel flavors, full body and bitter cocoa finish, this very special prep coffee has now become a stable offering to our roaster-members.