La Huaca

About an hour and a half drive from Jaén, at an altitude of 1,900 metres, lies La Huaca, José Nicanor Zurita’s four-hectare coffee farm, where he grows Caturra and Bourbon arabica varieties. In contrast to the region’s remote farms, El Mirador is accessible by car, although the climb is dauntingly steep. José lives in a modest adobe house with his wife and two children. In addition to growing coffee, he drives a 25-year-old Toyota Hilux pickup truck to transport local farmers and deliver packages to the nearby city. Our farmer sells his coffee cherries after the harvest to a local processing and exporting company, JJ MARCK, who buys at a fair price, pays for the cherries immediately, and processes them to a master’s level.