Coffee Story
Dagoberto is a second-generation coffee farmer, and, together with his wife, Maria Fernandez Izquierda (one of the other Peru lots we currently have on the single-origin menu), they are central figures in the PAWQARA co-op and Chirinos coffee-producer community, laser-focused on continuing to improve the quality of their farm and grow their relationships with their importer, Swift and roasters like us. Their farm is just a short walk from the PAWQARA cupping lab and warehouse; it's a 5-hectare farm with 3 hectares planted with coffee. Recently, they built a new family home on their farm and upgraded the pulping machine.
The PAWQARA co-op is truly a community of friends, neighbours, and families in the Chirinos district united to sell their coffee. Founded in 2022, the cooperative is led by husband-and-wife teams: Lily Heredia and Neptaly Santos, along with Angel Noriega and Cati Simon of Mikel Coffee, and Emily and Michael McIntyre of Swift Coffee Sourcing. Frustrated with producing high-quality coffees that often ended up in regional blends at local cooperatives, the founders envisioned a strong women-led group dedicated to improving the entire community. PAWQARA: Mujeres Fuertes y Resilientes (PAWQARA: Strong and Resilient Women) has expanded over the years to include male family members and other relatives. In just a few more years, the co-op aims to export three full containers of their coffees annually, alongside their importer, Swift Coffee Sourcing, and roasters like us at Detour who value their production process as much as the end coffee itself.
Each member's farm is small, nestled in the mountains. The family and community connections with residents from Pirias, El Corazón, La Lima, Shimanía Baja and Alta, as well as Balcones, create a unique blend of flavours and fragrances, enriching the region with harmony and growth. With support for exports, a quality control laboratory has now been established, giving producers greater confidence by verifying coffee quality at the time of delivery.
