Ecotribal presently has two tons of green Ashaninka coffee beans on a boat bound from Peru to Tilbury docks. Expected arrival is early November. Last year's stock sold out fast to happy customers.
In May this year we formed a new company, Ecotribal Coffee Limited, to take over trading in green coffee beans from the Ashaninka in Peru. We welcome our new Financial Director, John Fisher, a long term friend and colleague. The 2008 harvest was selected by Dilwyn Jenkins (British Anthropologist and founder of Ecotribal) and Carlos Montenegro (Peruvian Anthropologist and Manager of Ecotribal Peru) in June and July this year. This is our third year working directly with SANCORE, a new Association of Ashaninka Coffee Producers with around thirty small-producer members. The coffee plants grow in the shade of forest canopy on the upper slopes (800-1200m above sea level) of the Perene Valley in the central Peruivian Amazon region.
The beans have been grown to organic standards but the scale of export (2 tons this year) is still too small to cover the costs of the organic certification process. We are, however, working closely on this and Fair Trade certification with SANCORE.
The purchase price paid directly to the coffee producers by Ecotribal was above market and Fair Trade prices. We have a long term working relationship and continue to arrange technical workshops in the field and assist with study visits to best practice examples in Peru.
