Known for its countless orchid species, northeastern Moyobamba is also perfect to grow top-quality coffee thanks to its altitude and particular weather.
Favorable conditions notwithstanding, coffee growing is a demanding and time-consuming endeavor, as producers Genaro Davila and Jimmy Rojas know very well.
They are part of Aproeco, a coffee cooperative founded in 1999 that managed to start exporting after 10 years in business.
Aproeco produces
organic coffee, a premium favorite for which international traders are willing to pay premium price.
"Organic coffee is always much more appetizing than its usual counterpart, and it allows us to charge higher. Precisely, Japan is the country that pays the most for coffee; China is also a very important market we aim to reach," Garcia explained.
Aproeco's organic coffee has also arrived in Belgium, England, Germany and the United States.
When it comes to coffee, international markets primarily demand top quality —as is the case of organic coffee— and differentiation.
"We seek to make the [coffee] process as clean as it can be so that we get organic-labeled coffee with all the guarantees of a
top-quality product," producer Jimmy Rojas explained.
Expo Amazonica
In this sense,
Expo Amazonica 2017 has proved an ideal networking platform for these —and many others— local producers.
"We are finetuning new contacts with Expo Amazonica fair. It allows us to interact with potential buyers coming to San Martin searching for organic coffee," Garcia affirmed.
As a result, Aproeco has now developed new business contacts in Japan, Poland and the United Kingdom.
(END) MFA/RGP/DHT/MVB