The Sanchez family moved from poverty and invested everything they had in organic coffee growing 25 years ago. Today, they are the region's biggest role models and spend all their time growing coffee that is good for both nature and the people who live in it.
In Peru, the landscape is made for coffee, with steep mountain ridges, deep rainforest and fresh ocean air. Coffee has been grown here since the 1700s, and at the heart of Peru's coffee regions is a unique family with roots in the traditions of coffee growing. Together, the Sanchez family is committed to preserving the nature around them through organic coffee production and sustainable practices.
This family has created a coffee culture that is not only about quality, but also about respect for the environment and the people around them.
A breeding ground for the future in San Martin
The story of the Sanchez family begins with Felino and Jorge, two brothers who grew up in poverty in northern Peru. As an adult, Felino needed a fresh start with his wife and their three children, and the family moved slightly south to the region of San Martin. Looking for a place to live, the family found a farm with access to three important things: spring water, fruit trees and good weather conditions.
- It's the best decision we've ever made," says Felino to this day.
- In San Martin, we found the place that would become our forever home.
This is where the family started producing coffee. Their focus has always been to produce organic coffee, without the use of harmful chemicals or synthetic fertilizers. For the Sanchez family, it was important to produce coffee that not only tastes good, but also does good for nature. Their commitment to sustainable agriculture has made them role models in the region.
Felino and his family, and later his brother Jorge, saw the potential in specialty coffee from San Martin. Together with several coffee families in the small village of La Victoria, the Sanchez family started the Cerro Blanco Producers Association (APROCEB). In the beginning, the group consisted of 10 coffee-producing families, but today there are 211 families from 15 different communities.
Together, Cerro Blanco works to promote women and young coffee farmers, and to ensure renewal in Peruvian coffee production.
The younger generation: Marimar and Leomar
Having grown up on a growing organic coffee farm, neither Marimar nor Leomar had any doubts about what the future holds. Both have carried on their father's and uncle's visions with great enthusiasm.
Marimar, who has a bachelor's degree in environmental technology with a specialization in sustainable agriculture, works specifically with innovation in sustainable coffee production. She is exploring new ways to improve soil fertility without harming the environment and has replanted over 500 trees around her farm.
Leomar, on the other hand, has taken it upon himself to modernize the marketing and distribution of the family's coffee. He has built bridges between local coffee farms and the international market, helping their coffee to be sold to coffee enthusiasts around the world. In addition, Leomar has its own organic coffee farm.
Tradition meets sustainability
The Sanchez family is an example of how tradition and innovation can go hand in hand to create a brighter, more sustainable future. Through their work with organic coffee production, they have shown that it is possible to produce high-quality coffee while protecting the environment and supporting the local community. Their coffee is not only a taste experience, but also contributes to a more sustainable coffee industry.
In Solberg & Hansen's classic Peru - Sanchez, we have ingredients from all the Sanchez family's organic coffee farms.
