Cuchi Gonzales

This is the fourth time we have had coffee from Cuchi Gonzales farm on our counter and we are delighted to have it back for this crop. Cuchi Gonzales has been a member of Agricafe’s Sol de la Mañana program since 2014. The program provides agricultural and market assistance to farmers in the Caranavi region, providing agronomy training to help increase the quantity and quality of coffee from the area. Since accessing the program, Cuchi has made significant improvements to his farm and picking processes. On the farm, Cuchi has pruned and, where necessary, replanted to maintain a distance of at least half a meter between trees, and three meters between rows. This helps increase the sunlight the plants’ trees receive, which in turn helps with photosynthesis and the trees’ health. This last harvest has been a full month later than usual. Most of the farms in Caranavi have experienced this. It resulted from a very late flowering season which itself is usually a result of drought and not enough rain. The trees need a time of rest and then a good rain before flowering. Negotiating these differences season to season is one of the many challenges in farming.