The School That Coffee Built

GENERAL PREP WORK

January 2018

Materials have been gathered for the schoolhouse rennovations. Bricks have been carried through the jungle by mule (43 bricks at a time!). The existing walls have been demolished in preparation for the new, sturdier and better weathering structure that will house day to day school activities, town meetings, and community gatherings.

Currently on the coffee farm, the farmers are continuing to prep for the coffee growing season. Planting occurred a few months ago, and now, farmers are continuing to monitor the fields to ensure pest and disease problems can be prevented, ensuring a bountiful crop for harvesting.

HARVEST

May 2018

Primero de Mayo is not only the name of our partner community in Peru, but the start of the coffee harvesting season! The coffee crop is picked by hand, Over the next few weeks, the pickers will select only the ripe coffee cherries off each plant, signified by the deep, dark red color of the fruit.

Primero de Mayo post

May 2018

The school is taking shape before our very eyes - the new structure is a complete game changer for the farmers and their community - The concrete for the septic system is almost fully set! Having running water in the school is a complete game changer for the farmers and their families - not only does this mean the school house will have running water and plumbing for a bathroom, but the kitchen in the center of the school house will also be fully functional. Town meetings, farming education sessions, and celebrations will now be able to be prepped in a state of the art kitchen for generations to come.

Flooring, Doors & Windows, Paint

May 2018

Final touches are starting to fall into place for the schoolhouse! New floors are complete throughout, the doors and windows have been installed, and a fresh coat paint of paint all around has really made the structure a sight to see.

PROCESSING

June 2018

Once the coffee has been picked, processing must begin as quickly as possible to prevent fruit spoilage. Depending on location and local resources, coffee is processed in one of two ways: dry or wet processing.

The Dry Method is the age-old method of processing coffee, and still used in many countries where water resources are limited. The freshly picked cherries are simply spread out on huge surfaces to dry in the sun. In order to prevent the cherries from spoiling, they are raked and turned throughout the day, then covered at night or during rain to prevent them from getting wet. Depending on the weather, this process might continue for several weeks for each batch of coffee until the moisture content of the cherries drops to 11%.

The Wet Method removes the pulp from the coffee cherry after harvesting so the bean is dried with only the parchment skin left on. First, the freshly harvested cherries are passed through a pulping machine to separate the skin and pulp from the bean.

Then the beans are separated by weight as they pass through water channels. The lighter beans float to the top, while the heavier ripe beans sink to the bottom. They are passed through a series of rotating drums which separate them by size.

After separation, the beans are transported to large, water-filled fermentation tanks. Depending on a combination of factors -- such as the condition of the beans, the climate and the altitude -- they will remain in these tanks for anywhere from 12 to 48 hours to remove the slick layer of mucilage (called the parenchyma) that is still attached to the parchment. While resting in the tanks, naturally occurring enzymes will cause this layer to dissolve.

DRYING

July 2018

When fermentation is complete, the beans feel rough to the touch. The beans are rinsed by going through additional water channels, and are ready for drying.

These beans can be sun-dried by spreading them on drying tables or floors, where they are turned regularly, or they can be machine-dried in large tumblers. The dried beans are known as parchment coffee, and are warehoused in jute or sisal bags until they are readied for export.

Cafeteria/Community Room

Aug 2018

The schoolhouse is serving as so much more than just an education center. The new state of the art kitchen allows the entire community to gather for a meal together!

Harvest Season > Luna Coffees

Sept 2018

Harvest season is coming to a close, and the new coffee crop will find it's way to our roastery back in Denver, Colorado. Each one of our brands utilizes the Peruvian coffee farmed in Primero de Mayo - from our bright and delicious Boyer's Organic and Mashup Coffees to the Pure Peruvian coffee found in our Boca Java lineup. Don't forget! Proceeds from every bag sold in stores or online go directly back to the schoolhouse building project - we couldn't have made this happen without our amazing customers' support! Peruse thorugh our full lineup of Peruvian coffees at the bottom of this page!

Second Trip

Oct 2018

Our owners Doug and Jason headed back to Peru for a very special visit. Not only did they have a chance to visit the dry coffee mill and cup the latest coffee crop, but they were also able to attend the celebration of the completion of the School that Coffee Built in Primero de Mayo. What an incredible honor to see the impact of this new school building first hand! The project has been such a great success, there is talk of scouting out a second location for a new school project in one of the nearby coffee farming communities. More to come on this exciting new endeavor very soon!

Completion & Celebration > Chair

Nov 2018

With the additional funds raised through this program, a brand new playground was added to the school! While in Peru, Doug and Jason were able to visit the schoolhouse. The children were eager to show off their new classroom, now full of books, art supplies.

Materials delivered for drying beds Stove and refrigerator delivered for community kitchen

Mar 2019

In a continued effort to improve coffee quality, materials were brought to Primero de Mayo and raised drying beds were built. These drying beds are a game changer, and keep the harvested coffee cherries off the ground and allow air to circulate more easily. The end result: clean cherries that dry evenly, creating a more consistent, higher grade coffee. The community kitchen also received a new stove and refrigerator! The journey to Primero de Mayo meant several hours worth of hiking with mules and everything else was carried by hand! Post installation, the stove and refrigerator have become big assets in the community gatherings.

Drying beds fully installed

Jun 2019

The 10 drying beds are officially installed and now in use! A demo plot has also been installed right next to the school as part of the test farm. Building here is now officially complete! Producers continue to receive education on the best agronomic practices thorugh programs brought to the co-op through our partnership with Volcafe.

Agua Azul Introduction

July 2019

This past year, we were able to build a school in Primero di Mayo, and thanks to the support of our customers, we're setting out to build a second school in the nearby community of Agua Azul. Owners Doug and Jason were able to visit Agua Azul not too long ago, and while they were there, they learned that one of the biggest needs in this village is to build a preschool next to the elementary school so that everyone can be in one area during the day. Plans are also in the works to build new proper bathrooms and a kitchen to allow for community gatherings. They are also interested in getting Internet access and a computer to begin teaching English and online skills!

Materials and blue prints delivered

Aug 2019

Blue prints and materials have been delivered, and preparation for the new building has begun. Materials are driven up to Agua Azul from Moyobamba, about 2 hours away. A road was essentially built just for this portion of the project, the trail leading up the mountain was (and still is) quite steep and difficult to maneuver in any type of moisture. Not only do the coffee farmers and their families take care of their coffee plants, which are now starting to be harvested, but on top of all of that they also are helping to build the school. A general contractor was hired to help spearhead the process, but the building itself will be completed with everyone's combined efforts.

Building is almost complete - just waiting on window installation

Sep 2019

Luna Team Visits Agua Azul!