Perla Andina is the fruition of 18 months of work between a group of small farmers and Sacred Grounds. This lovely coffee has a distinct floral aroma with sweet buttery mouthfeel and a long caramel finish.

Perla Andina, or Andean Pearl is the microlot Sacred Grounds built using 6 of the best coffees from our project with the Huabal producers. In September 26 coded samples arrived in our roastery. We evaluated each sample and sent our scores to CENFROCAFE. Their team of cuppers evaluated the samples along with an independent third party and the scores were entered into a database.

Sacred Grounds and the producers from Huabal entered into a transparency contract that called for rigorous screening to identify the best coffees and reward them with higher prices. Microlot coffees scored above 92 points on aggregate and received a farm gate price of $3.10 per pound, more than triple the net price paid for fair trade coffees.

The majority of the coffee in this microlot came from Dario Cusman, a dynamic 23 year old farmer who is president of his association, Flor de la Manzanilla. His neighbors Adán Ramos Romero and Vera Velasquez contributed to the lot. From the Brillante de Perla Andina producer's group Modesto Herrera and Walter Quispe Férnandez added several bags. Gilberto Bazán from the Jose Galvez producers group rounded off the lot.

Two visits, 24,000 frequent flier miles and 16 hours on bumpy roads in Northern Peru helped bring this project from concept to reality. Each year Sacred Grounds has pledged to invest time and resources to develop this project and in turn producers are investing time, resources and energy into crafting exceptional coffees. With the guidance of CENFROCAFE and KC O'Keefe, this alliance is sure to produce some amazing coffees over time.