Maria Esmilda is a farmer and a member of the young and small cooperative Cedros in Cajamarca, that we started to work with in 2019. Her farm El Pajuro is located at 1830 masl in Sport Piura. Maria Esmilda works with her 3 sons, who have neighbouring farms and also deliver amazing quality coffee. They work together on the management on farm practices and post harvest processing.

Maria’s farm, El Pajuro has 1 hectare planted with coffee, mainly Caturra and Pache. It is located at 1830 masl in Sport Piura.

El Pajuro

Maria Esmilda is a member of the Cedros cooperative, with whom we initiated collaboration in 2019. Her farm, El Pajuro, stands at an elevation of 1830 masl in Sport Piura. Working alongside her three sons, who manage neighbouring farms also producing quality, they collectively focus on farm management practices and post-harvest processing.

Born in 1954 in San Luis de Lucma District, Cutervo, Maria’s journey started in agriculture, supporting her cattle and potato farming parents. Leaving formal education behind, she got into coffee farming when, at the age of 22, she married Ezequiel Chinguel and moved to Sport Piura in the district of Huabal. In 2017, Maria and her sons joined the Cedros Cooperative. Maria stands out as one of the few producers dedicated to achieving higher quality standards, yielding outstanding results.

Harvest & Post harvest

El Pajuro spans 1 hectare, predominantly cultivating Caturra and Pache varieties. Nestled at 1830 masl in Sport Piura, Maria Esmilda and her sons have been actively contributing to its growth.

Situated in a high-altitude region with favourable climatic conditions, Maria and her family have progressively enhanced their wet processing and drying methods. They’ve also introduced various coffee varieties, resulting in exceptional coffees that consistently score 87 and above.

Cedros Cooperative

The Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Cedros Café (Cedros) was established on May 10th, 2013, in the Cajamarca Region of Northern Peru. Comprising around 300 members, this cooperative was created with the aim of fostering greater representation and participation among its members. It provides enhanced access to public and private funding, and actively engages in developing niche markets, contributing to the coffee social movement both nationally and internationally.

Cedros Café operates within a diverse area, spanning the province of San Ignacio in the districts of Tabacones and La Coipa, as well as the province of Jaen in the districts of Bellavista, Colasay, Huabal, Las Parias, and San Jose del Alto. The cooperative plays a pivotal role in connecting local farmers and families.

Incentivising Quality

Cedros Café actively encourages and supports its members by offering premiums based on cup quality, providing essential farm infrastructure such as solar dryers, and implementing advanced post-harvest processing equipment like pulpers and fermentation tanks. The cooperative is dedicated to enhancing cup quality through various initiatives, all complemented by hands-on training.

To ensure the transparency of pricing, premiums, reimbursements, and other forms of support provided to its associates, Cedros facilitates agreements through a democratic and transparent general assembly among its members. Distribution of benefits is collectively approved and subsequently allocated according to the consensus.

Jorge Carrillo Enrriquez, the cooperative’s manager, is deeply involved in overseeing all aspects of operations. The administration team seamlessly integrates administrative and operational functions, featuring dedicated teams for accounting and quality control, each comprising two individuals. The Quality Control (QC) department conducts both physical and sensory assessments to ensure traceability and uphold product quality standards. Additionally, a field team of three technicians/agronomists is responsible for on-site operations.