The first time I visited Efrain’s farm (which he called El Cerro), we had to hike an hour up from the town of Corazón from his house to his farm. By the time we got to the top, it had started raining so hard we couldn’t do much but sit under the cover of his patio to stay dry. As we waited the rain out, Efrain told us about his history with coffee. He’s been growing coffee since 2005, and now farms on 2.5 hectares. When Origin Coffee lab started up, he was one of the first producers they worked with. In their first year together, he won second place in Peru’s Cup of Excellence competition. The next year, he placed 15th, which is no mean feat. The next time I saw Efrain, it was at his farm again, but this time we didn’t have to hike up to get there. He’d taken his earning from the Cup of Excellence, and together with Origin Coffee Lab, he built a road from the town to his farm. A road makes hauling supplies up the mountain much quicker, and makes bringing freshly harvested cherries down much easier. The quicker the coffee gets down to get processed and dried, the greater potential for quality. It also saves him hours of work each day. This time around, we were lucky enough to be able to purchase some coffee from him. -Josh Hockin Director of Coffee