Solar dryers improve aeration
We’re hoping that the availability of better drying and processing facilities will encourage farmers to separate their crop into micro lots of better quality that command a higher price – rewarding the farmers with a greater return on their hard work.
Columbus, Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea is contributing $5,000 to kick off a proposed $500,000 project to build solar dryers for Peruvian coffee farmers in the Junín region. By supporting better aeration, the raised beds will help improve the quality of washed coffees by mitigating the risk of negative fermentation.
The project is a joint venture of NARSA (NEGOCIACIONES AGROINDUSTRIAL AREVALO S. A.), a private co-op founded by Don Julio Abel Arevalo Tello, and its affiliated COOPERU organization, which promotes better farming practices among small-plot coffee farmers. COOPERU includes an extensive network of approximately 3,000 coffee and cacao farmers. The raised beds are being built on top of NARSA buildings in La Merced.
“We’re excited to partner with incredible organizations that have been instrumental in coffee development in the Junín region,” said Greg Ubert, Crimson Cup founder and president.
