In 2004, a group of 464 female coffee producers in Peru united to change the coffee growing dynamic and take a step toward empowerment, by separating their coffee from the men’s coffee, to gain a higher stake in their hard work. These women created their own product and their own source of income. Their cooperative, the CECANOR cooperative, partnered with the U.S. based importer Organic Products Trading Company (OPTCO) to form the Cafe Femenino foundation. Through this program, they developed a new market for women-produced coffee, which has helped to bring many women coffee farmers out of poverty to better benefit their home communities.

This Peruvian coffee, from the cooperative which started it all, showcases the classic flavor of northern Peruvian coffees. Coffees from the north of Peru, from growing regions such as Amazonas, Cajamarca, Piura, and Lambayeque, typically offer a full body, a nut and chocolate flavor, and a mild but pleasant acidity. This coffee is quite easy to drink. It offers a smooth milk chocolate flavor, a medium body, a white-grape-like acidity, and a clean finish.