As a third-generation coffee producer, Ruther Farfan Quispe has been able to build upon the knowledge of coffee production he inherited from his family with novel ideas adapted to today’s specialty market, and the results he has found since are beautifully captured in this new gesha variety Reserve Lot selection. Located in a mountainous area of the Cusco province in southeastern Peru called Ocobamba, the name of Ruther’s multi-generational family farm, called ​​Finca Pisonayniyoc, pays homage to the native legume-bearing Pisonay trees that have been treasured throughout the Andes mountains since the Inca period. As is true of many smallholder farms in the remote and rugged areas of Cusco, coffee plants will often live among native trees and forest, such as the Pacae Mono trees, that serve to fix nitrogen in the soil and provide shade on Finca Pisonayniyoc.

Despite being involved in the family’s coffee production from a young age, it was not until 2018, after speaking with a Cup of Excellence winning producer from the region, that Ruther began to push the farm to the next level, bringing an increased focus on prized varieties, careful cherry selection, and detailed processing and drying methods. Today, the majority of the three-hectare farm is planted with the celebrated gesha variety, as well as smaller amounts of varieties more common to the region such as bourbon, typica, and catimor. After a harvest period that lasts from about April to August, cherries on Pisonayniyoc are pulped, traditionally fermented, and fully washed before drying on raised beds for roughly 2 weeks. This is our first time purchasing coffee from Ruther Quispe, but we hope to continue to enjoy the privilege of tasting and purchasing his coffees as we continue our focused work in the Cusco region in years to come.