Award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is helping Peruvian coffee farmer Hector Portocarerro install new drying beds to process his cherry-dried Gesha coffee.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 2, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In 2021, Peruvian coffee farmer Hector Portocarerro lost half his crop of rare Gesha coffee to uneven drying and processing defects. This year, he is installing new drying beds with support from award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.
"Hector's cherry-dried Gesha is one of my favorite coffees, and we would like to buy more of it," said Crimson Cup Sustainability Director Brandon Bir.
In 2019, Crimson Cup's roast of Portocarerro's Gesha took home two medals at the Golden Bean North America coffee roasting competition, contributing to Crimson Cup's Small Franchise/Chain Roaster Championship.
On his most recent trip to Peru, Bir visited Portocarerro's farm and saw that its drying facility presented an obstacle to delivering more of this phenomenal coffee.
"At Crimson Cup, we focus on good by developing mutually beneficial relationships throughout the value chain," Bir said.
"On one end of the value chain, Crimson Cup focuses on helping independent coffee houses succeed through our 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program. And at the other end, we are in Peru trying to help a farmer become more successful in his small business."
"Knowing that Hector has this bottleneck and taking action to remove it puts our values into action."
Crimson Cup is partnering with NARSA (NEGOCIACIONES AGROINDUSTRIAL AREVALO S. A.), a coffee co-op headquartered in Peru's Junin region, to fund more efficient drying beds on Portocarerro's farm.
Bir and his team have been working with NARSA since 2014 as a part of Crimson Cup's unique Friend2Farmer initiatives, through which the roaster makes economic, environmental and social impacts in coffee farming communities.
NARSA Founder Don Julio Abel Arevalo Tello and his team focus on helping small coffee and cacao farmers in Peru's Central Highlands and Amazon regions gain market access throughout Peru and beyond.
"By pushing cup quality and crop health as a means to a more sustainable industry, NARSA aligns perfectly with Crimson Cup's commitment to quality and sustainability," Bir said.
With help from Crimson Cup and NARSA, Portocarerro hopes to complete the new drying beds before the July coffee harvest.
"The higher the quality of Hector's coffee, the more we will have to pay for it. The more he can grow, the more we can buy and sell to our customers," Bir said. "And the more Hector earns, the more he can invest in his farm."
"During our visit, Hector showed us baby Gesha plants ready to be planted," he added. "He also shared plans to purchase more lots of land around his farm so that he can grow more Gesha and other varieties of coffee.
"We're excited to make a small contribution toward his reaching his goals. After all, when he succeeds in growing more exceptional coffee, it contributes to our success as a roaster."
About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster and Roast magazine's 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.
Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup – driven by meaningful relationships, honesty and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.
Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs to run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into how much it costs to open a coffee shop.
Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, college and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
Media Contact
Cheryl Claypoole, Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea, 614-361-5023, [email protected]
SOURCE Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea
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