Raul Gutierrez Escobar

Raul Gutierrez began producing coffee in the Quelloúno district of Cusco, Peru, in 2015 after his wife Carlota inherited a parcel of her father’s farm. Upon inheriting the farm, the pair immediately began focusing over a quarter of their 4 hectare plot to coffee production, guided by the experience and assistance of Carlota’s father. Since then, Raul has continued to work towards improving the quality of his coffee production, with a particular focus on ripe cherry selection. Among his goals for the future are improved and expanded solar drying beds for the farm and continued improvement of the consistency and quality of his coffee. Since 2018, Raul has been part of a grower education program funded by importer Caravela Coffee, which assists producers on the ground with education and implementation of best practices surrounding productivity, quality, farm management, and sustainability.

Raul Gutierrez and his wife Carlota largely produce typica and red bourbon varieties on their farm, as well small amounts of gesha. After pulping, the coffees are given a ‘low-oxygen’ fermentation in sealed barrels for 36 hrs before being washed. Taking around 20-25 days to dry completely, any remaining coffee that Raul is unable to dry on his personal canopied patios or solar dryers are brought to a local dry mill to reach the proper moisture content for hulling.