• Region: Cajamarca
• Province: San Ignacio
• District: Chirinos
• Zone: Cordillera Andina
• Pueblo: Caserio Cordillera
• Owner: Berli Itamar Neyra Contreras
• Elevation: 1700 - 1800 MASL
• Cultivar: Caturra
• Process: Washed
• Soil: Ancient & recent alluvial

Origins of PAWQARA

The PAWQARA co-op is truly a community of friends, neighbors, andfamilies in the Chirinos district who have banded together to selltheir coffee. Begun in 2022, the cooperative is centered around husband and wife partners Lily Heredia and Neptaly Santos, partnered with another husband and wife pair: Angel Noriega and Cati Simon of Mikel coffee. The third husband and wife pair to bring the project to fruition was Emily and Michael McIntyre of Swift Coffee Sourcing.Tired of using great care to produce their coffees and then seeing the (often) variety-separated, high-end coffees go into regional blends at local cooperatives, the founders envisioned a powerful group led by women, for the betterment of the entire community.

PAWQARA’s Growth Trajectory

PAWQARA has grown over the years to add male family members and other relatives. Within a few more years, it will have reached its modest goal: 3 full containers a year of high quality coffee, sold by Swift Coffee Sourcing to roasters who care about the process as much as the producers. Swift Coffee Sourcing is the only buyer of PAWQARA’s exportable lots, and Emily and Michael's prior involvement with PAWQARA enabled the co-op to build a very nice cupping lab. This complete, they are now building a small warehouse/storage area on site as well.

Producers

Each member farm is small, carved out of the hillsides of the mountains. The family and community ties with the residents of Pirias, El Corazón, La Lima, and Shimanía Baja and Alta, as well as Balcones, make these coffees an elixir of flavors and fragrances—filling the region with harmony and growth. Thanks to export support,a quality control laboratory has now been established, givingproducers greater confidence by verifying coffee quality at the timeof delivery.Berli is a new producer to the group and excited to see hercoffees represented in North America, and to experience thebenefit of her labor more directly.