Story
This coffee is a crowd favorite amongst the roastery. When Jon Lampley was set to arrive to choose a coffee for this collaboration, we placed this coffee on the table in hopes that he would select it. Without a doubt, there were much louder and flashier coffees within the same lineup, but there was something that spoke not only to us of Jon's work and character, but to him as well. We unanimously agreed that this microlot from Peru would be the coffee for this collaboration. Like Lampley's music, this coffee is complex and sophisticated while still being approachable and inviting to all.
RED FOX & PERCY PUZMA
Sourcing coffees like this one has been years in the making. Over the last five years, our friend Aleco at Red Fox Coffee Merchants has encouraged us to visit him in Lima, Peru. Aleco and his team have been hard at work opening an office and sourcing coffees from all over Peru. Each October, we would plan to make a visit, only to have our plans challenged by conflicting events. (or global pandemics.) This season, we made a concerted effort to visit the Red Fox Team in Lima, and our microlot program is all the better for it. Over the course of two days, we cupped dozens of lots ranging from Cuzco in the south to the far north in Amazonas. Over each table, the team there shared about each producer or cooperative doing amazing work across the country. Together, we selected ten microlots from across the vast regions of Peru to highlight not only the hard work of Red Fox and the team, but to showcase what a varied and beautiful coffee growing country Peru is. We are buzzing with excitement to partner with producers like Persy Puzma.
In Northern Peru near the Ecuador border lies the small town called Pueblo Libre. Nestled within the center of Namballe district, it’s in the San Ignacio province within the larger Cajamarca region. This area is of vital importance since it’s part of the buffer zone surrounding the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary. This sanctuary preserves a unique and rare ecosystem in Peru: the páramo.
Persy Puzma is one of our top producer partners in this area. Born in the coffee producing town of La Zunga, he’s been cultivating coffee for more than 10 years. The farm encompasses 2.5 hectares, all dedicated to coffee production and subsistence crops like yucca and bananas that his family’s daily consumption. He intersperses Caturra, Pache and Geisha varieties among shade trees that include Albizia and Pacay. After processing, he loads parchment onto mules to be delivered to the nearest access road. Persy is a passionate coffee producer and wishes to obtain national and international recognition in the future. The name of his farm "La Nona" is because there is a medicinal tree in all the area called Nona. In this area coffee production coexists in total balance with the preservation of the ecosystem. The natural result is a sustainable and excellent quality coffee.