Coop Norandino (formerly known as CEPICAFE) was founded in March 1995 with 200 members. Today the group has grown into a second level non-profit organization which represents coffee and sugar cane producers of the Piuran mountains of northeastern Peru. Norandino’s primary objectives are to sell 100% of their coffee to the specialty market, to strengthen their organization, and to establish respectful and collaborative commercial alliances with their international network of buyers.
Through the consolidation of member organizations under the Norandino umbrella, producers are now active and respected agents for sustainable development in their region. They have worked collectively to improve quality and overall production under certified organic practices, and have increased their exports from 550 qq of coffee in 1997 to nearly 40,000 qq into specialty markets in North America, Europe and Asia. Farmers also enjoy access to financing and to development projects. This has facilitated the diversification of their production base to include a range of products from panela (raw brown sugar), jams and cocoa, to crafts and tourism.
For the past several years, Coop Coffees has been working with Norandino to resuscitate the traditional natural process coffees of the Canchaque region of northern Piura. That process saw the first successful fruits of Norandino and member cooperative Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui’s labour during the 2012 harvest. That’s when the farmers around Coyona produced three, small-lots of natural process coffee.
“Prior to 1990, nearly 100% of Sierra Piurana coffee was natural process” says Norandino manager Santiago Paz. “This Canchaque coffee was famous world-wide for its special flavor profile.”
The producers themselves say, recovering the Cafe Canchaque is both sentimental and a smart marketing move, creating a unique niche and distinguishing the region as one of the only producers of high-quality, unwashed coffees in all of Peru. Characterised by its consistently sweet blend of tropical fruit and caramel flavors, full body and bitter cocoa finish, this very special prep coffee has now become a stable offering to our roaster/members.
Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Jose Gabriel Condorcanqui in Coyona is one of the oldest coops in the region – founded Nov 4, 1969 (and named after an indigenous hero Tukamaro II who led a revolt against the Spaniards Nov 4, 1779). With a total of 200 members spread across 5 casilleros, this represents the vast majority of the local population in the region. Within that membership, 100 producers live in the town of Coyona itself with coffee fields located between 1,000 and 1,600 meters above sea level. This kind of proximity and cohesion is rare in rural cooperatives, offering their members greater opportunities for community impact and development.
Coop Candorcanqui exports its coffee through Coop Norandino, the umbrella organization serving coop members’ marketing, financing and technical training needs.