Community lot sourcing is an integral part of our program at Variety, and an essential avenue for smallholder farmers to access more buyers, better prices, and consistent relationships. In the communities of Inza as in many growing communities around the world, individuals may produce less than a full exportable bag of coffee on their own. When neighbors organize to pool their resources, adopt similar farming practices, and process their cherry together each harvest, the result is a more consistent product with a distinct regional cup character and a larger output. This consistency, coupled with Colombia’s twice annual harvest cycles ensure that we can offer fresh Perla to our customers all year.
Pergamino Cafe was founded by Pedro Echavarría, whose family owns the Santa Barbara Estate farms just outside of Medellín. Initially created as a way to market and export his family’s harvests, Pergamino quickly expanded into a roasting and retailing operation with a number of beautiful cafes in the city. With this new avenue for prosperity, Pedro shifted his focus to helping the many small farmers of Antioquia and beyond to achieve better quality from their harvests and better access to buyers. Through a network of cherry delivery stations, quality labs, and a dry mill to prepare the exports, Pergamino has been instrumental in the growth of a number of growing communities throughout the country. The producers of Perla de Inza are a shining example of this work, and their commitment to producing certified organic coffee is no small feat.
