Peru | Quellouno | Gesha

Origin: Peru
Region: Quellouno, Cusco
Altitude: 1800 – 2000 MASL
Farm: Tunkimayu
Farmers: Alejandro Castañeda and Synthia Castañeda
Cultivars: Gesha
Process: Washed (72 hour dry fermentation)

My name is Shyntia Veronica Castañeda, and at 39 years old, I am leading the production of specialty coffee at Finca Tunkimayu.

My story dates back to July 2, 1931, the year my grandmother, Elvira Madera Rodriguez, was born in the settlement of Tunkimayu, La Convencion, Cusco-Peru.

She was the daughter of coffee workers on the former Tunkimayu estate. My grandparents met while working for the estate they married on September 10, 1964. After marriage they acquired several hectares of land to devote themselves to coffee cultivation. Alejandro Castañeda Madera, my father, was my grandparent’s eldest son.

From a young age, he loved the coffee plantations and worked tirelessly. At 60, he decided to train in the production of specialty coffees, and in 2017, his dedication and effort were recognized with an award granted by the Municipal Government of Quellouno for the improvement of his specialty coffee production areas.

During my childhood and youth, my day-to-day was marked by accompanying my parents in the coffee fields.

From the harvest to the complete process of transforming coffee, I was there, learning and contributing at every stage. This bond with the land, animals, and plants provided me with a deep connection to nature that still resonates within me.

As an Anthropologist, I immersed myself in the study of Amazonian Quechua societies and intercultural education, fascinated by our culture and its deep connection with nature. This specialisation allowed me to understand more deeply how our lives unfold in harmony with nature.

This experience not only enriched my understanding of the world around me but also reaffirmed my commitment to defending the rights of indigenous communities and promoting initiatives that improve their well-being and empowerment.

There came a time in my life when I fully assumed the direction of specialty coffee production at Finca Tunkimayu. With a clear focus on achieving our exports independently, as we previously exported through Agricultural Cooperatives, now, we are proud to be allies of Que Onda from England.

These partnerships have allowed us not only to expand our reach in the international market but also to raise the profile and reputation of our farm, bringing our unique and quality coffees to the world.

It is an honour and a privilege to have the trust of my grandparents and my parents, as they have entrusted me with the responsibility of leading this family business, a testament to their faith in the crucial role that women play in all aspects of coffee production. From the cultivation and care of the coffee plants to processing and exporting, Women play a fundamental role that is often underestimated.

Therefore, it is essential to recognise and value the immense contribution we Women make in the coffee industry.

Our goal is to harvest high-quality coffees and also contribute to the strengthening and sustainable development of our coffee community, promoting gender equality and creating opportunities for the empowerment of all Women involved in this noble trade.

As a coffee producer, I can attest to the difficult reality faced by many children and young people in rural areas dedicated to coffee production, who do not have access to quality education, especially the situation of Women, many of whom become teenage mothers and are forced to abandon their studies, putting their physical and mental health at risk.

Our goal is to create a sustainable initiative that allows the children of our community to access quality education and become positive change agents in their environment, by educating high school students in biodynamic agriculture in the production of specialty coffees and offering comprehensive sexual education workshops for young people.

This is the story of my family and our struggle for a fairer and more equitable future for all the inhabitants of our community.

Urpillay Sonqollay “Many thanks from the bottom of my heart”