Organic Peru Inispata y Machayniyoc Gesha

What We Love

We’ve come to recognize and appreciate the talent of Don Mario Villano, who continues to produce some of our favorite selections from the San Fernando Cooperative each season. His Gesha selection stood out to us with complex fruit tones that are almost candy-like in expression. When opening the bag you’ll immediately recognize aromas of dark chocolate and subtle spring florals. In the cup, expect intense and refined fruitiness of ripe red raspberries, alongside lemon acidity, followed by a harmonious mixture of black tea and hibiscus tones. 

This expression of the Gesha variety takes us right back to the mythic views of the Incahuasi Valley. It’s coffees like this that remind us of the strength of cooperatives, and how localized knowledge and collaboration, mutual support and community, can create coffees both extraordinary and beautiful.

About the Farmer

Over the last several years we’ve formed an incredible sourcing partnership with the San Fernando Cooperative. Based in Amaybamba, Peru, the San Fernando Cooperative produces an array of delicious coffees. They range from the reliable, chocolaty coffees used in our most popular blends like Driftless to the very distinct and complex single-farmer micro-lots like this selection from Mario Villano. 

Mario’s coffee comes from two separate plots, each identified with names from the Quechua language. The first is Inispata, which roughly translates to “a grassy plain.” The second is Machayniyoc, which translates to “a small cave.” These names reflect the stunning natural landscape and features of the area.

The Uchupucro sector, where Inispata y Machayniyoc is located, is surrounded by dense forests and lush vegetation. The Belen and Mapillo Chico rivers flow from the peaks of the Andes down into the valleys of Incahuasi below and run right next to the farm. Mario has cultivated coffee for 50 years, beginning as a youth, working on both his grandparent's and parent's farms. Many years ago, this area was quite dangerous, with local armed forces terrorizing and extorting farmers like Mario. For years, this situation greatly hindered agricultural development and increased hardship for smallholder farmers. Thankfully, today this area is very peaceful, and farmers like Mario now have access to high-value markets for their coffees. 

About the Coffee

One of the distinguishing features of southern Peru, and specifically the Incahuasi Valley, is the intense and unforgiving growing context. For generations, farmers like Mario Villano have cultivated coffee amongst the rugged foothills of the Andean mountains. This region is arid nearly all year, which, paired with exceptionally high elevations, creates an array of challenges for farmers to cultivate healthy trees. 

To combat these challenges, Wonderstate and our importing cooperative donated funds to the San Fernando Cooperative to supply farmer members with the materials needed for irrigation. By pulling fresh water from the adjacent rivers fueled by the Andes, farmers can now provide their thirsty trees with the water needed to successfully cultivate and maintain the yearly harvest.

This selection from Mario’s farm features the Gesha variety, which has only recently been cultivated in the Incahuasi Valley. The climate of the region is exceptionally favorable to Gesha cultivation, and many of the farmer-members of the San Fernando Cooperative have begun cultivating Gesha with outstanding success. Don Mario’s Gesha reflects both the flavors of the Incahuasi Valley, as well as the distinct nuances we’ve come to recognize from his farm. This selection undergoes a washed process, where cherries are picked at peak ripeness, hand sorted, and then depulped and allowed to ferment for upwards of 36 hours. The coffee is then washed with clean mountain water and dried on raised beds until optimal moisture is reached.