WASHINGTON D.C., USA – The Covid-19 pandemic, yellow rust and the price crisis prior to 2022 seriously affected the Peruvian coffee sector. However, the worldwide consumption of specialty coffees has been on the rise in recent years. In this context, the “Community of Specialty Coffees” (CCE) project is promoted and executed, which aims to group, promote and enhance the technical-productive skills of coffee cooperatives, under a sustainable and climate-smart approach.
By 2026, it is expected to benefit more than 3,000 producers from central and southern Peru.
The project is promoted by the Central Café & Cacao del Perú (Central) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and will run until 2026. In this period, it will work with 10 cooperatives nationwide: La Florida, Satipo, Pangoa, Alto Satinaki, ACPC Pichanaki and Sonomoro in the Junin region; Incahuasi, Quinacho and Cacvra in Cusco; San Juan del Oro in Puno. Together, they bring together 2,929 coffee growers dedicated to the production of specialty coffees.
“USAID has been supporting, for more than 20 years, the Peruvian coffee sector, to provide farmers with opportunities for licit economies through better crop yields, access to financing and competitive markets that give a fair price to their products. We are very happy to have signed this agreement with Central de Café & Cacao, as a sign of our commitment, to promote the chain of specialty coffees, for the benefit of coffee farmers in the regions of Junín, Cusco and Puno. We are confident that we will achieve the proposed goals!” said Jene Thomas, USAID Director in Peru.
Results
Under USAID’s Alternative Development program, it is expected that, at the end of the CCE Project, 3,200 coffee families will triple the income of their farms, from $4,866 to $15,341, and it is expected to increase the amount of quintals exported, from 100,000 to 225,000. To achieve this, the Project includes various activities such as training, international internships, participation in fairs, promotion and marketing among others.
“As a producing country we have a competitive advantage by having a rich biodiversity and different climates, characteristics necessary to obtain a coffee of excellence. With sustainable, efficient production, consistent quality and market access, Peru has a great opportunity to position itself as a producer of high quality coffees in the world, we are sure that the CCE project will have a large contribution in achieving this objective”, said Geni Fundes Buleje, general manager of Central Café & Cacao and director of the CCE project.
The CCE project is also possible thanks to the joint work with DevWorks International, an entity that supports the management of projects in development. It also has as strategic allies the Latin American Guarantee Fund (Fogal), the Los Andes Savings and Credit Cooperative, Atlas Coffee, Red Fox, Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) and the World Coffee Events (WCE).
