Industrias Cafenor

So much too chose, such a small backpack...

joosts

Just a city block away from the Plaza de Armas you can find Cafenor. Gonzalo Pesantes Peña's company offers high quality locally produced coffee and alcoholic drinks.

About 60 percent of the agricultural produce of this isolated province is coffee, as this is a more easily exportable product than fruits and vegetables. The horrible quality of the roads means that even the coastal market is only reachable for a product that doesn't rot easily. Lack of capital entails that the raw material is exported.

Cafenor tries to industrialize the products locally and diminish the dependency on international coffee prices. Most coffee is roasted in other countries, with most Peruvians consuming instant coffee grown in Peru (or even other countries) but roasted in Venezuela or Colombia. People do roast locally, but on a very small and labor-intensive scale. Cafenor industrializes this proces somewhat, using a custom maid burning machine functioning on natural gas and electricity. His coffee is bien rico and handsomely marketed.

Besides his coffee, he also produces various aromatic alcoholic drinks, based on aguardiente (basicaly rhum without taste) and various flavoring such as vanilla, cacao, coffee, milk and the likes. I'd say you can spend a nice afternoon tasting all the different products.

Gonzalo is a good guy, who loves his product and works hard to develop his city and his  own income. He is more interested in selling his product than in the profits that brings. He'll be happy to show his factory on the rooftop terrace. He should open a coffee bar there, I say! Prices are very reasonable, at less then 10 soles for a pretty bag of coffee and the similar prices for 3/4 litre bottles of drinks.

His appartment, shop and factory are all at calle Marulanda 269, which is just one block away from the Plaza de Armas. Ask the locals for directions! The main door is always open. Don't be shy to go up the stairs, take a left and nock on his door.