The Valle de Incahuasi Coffee Farmers’ Cooperative (CACVI) was founded in 2005 and currently brings together more than 500 farming families spread across the Incahuasi Valley and neighboring areas of Ayacucho, in the province of La Convención, Cusco Region. Their coffee plantations stretch out beneath the snow-capped Choqesafra mountain, and its members keep Inca traditions alive, such as Ayni—mutual aid among producers—and Minka—collective work for the community.
Alipio Palomino farms his estate, Kuquipata, in Pacaybamba, near Amaybamba, the capital of the Incahuasi Valley. His plots, measuring just 1.5 hectares, are irrigated with water flowing down from the Cohcosafera ravine through a system of canals built in the Inca tradition that local farmers have maintained for centuries. The farm is covered by dense shade, which Alipio considers essential for his coffee trees, especially for the Geisha variety: the tree canopy maintains nutrient balance and controls pests thanks to the birds that nest in the shade trees. It is precisely these birds that, according to Alipio, signal the optimal ripeness, waiting for the cherry to turn a deep purple before harvesting—an observation that has led other producers in the area to harvest later in order to achieve greater sweetness and complexity in the cup.
The variety Alipio grows is known locally as Geisha Inca, though it is technically identified as SL9: a selection of Ethiopian origin that has been present in the area for decades and was long neglected due to its low yield. Today, with more careful quality management, it is being planted at increasingly higher altitudes and is beginning to yield outstanding results, both in the cup and in the income of the farmers who grow it.
The committees that make up the cooperative share a common Inca heritage, and their collaborative work practices continue to refine each farmer’s craft from generation to generation.
