Finca Artemira - Ebert Huaman Villegas - Family Farm Lot

Who is Ebert Huaman? 

Ebert Huaman Villegas is a young and dedicated coffee producer from Salinas, a village in the San Jose de Lourdes District, part of the San Ignacio Province, in Cajamarca Region. He's starting to become known for his coffee quality and expertise in Peru as in 2022 he finished 6th in a regional competition, Expo Cajamarca, while in 2023 he finished 18th in the Cup of Excellence.

About Ebert and Finca Artemira

Ebert and his family are collectively known as Finca Artemira, named after Ebert’s mother, and has been operational for over 40 years, however, recently expanded under Ebert's leadership. They cultivate many coffee varietals and other crops for their livelihood, practices regenerative agriculture through coffee agroforestry systems and is continually experimenting with cultivation techniques and processes.

How was the coffee processed? 

For all of the higher quality and finer coffees that they produce at Finca Artemira, they undergo a specific process which they have honed over the years. Slight changes are made to the drying stages for particular coffees but for the most part, all washed coffees go through an anaerobic, double fermentation. The steps are as follows:

1. Cherries are soaked in water tanks for 'liquidation'
   
   
2. They're then sealed in GrainPro bags for 24-hour fermentation (anaerobic)
   
   
3. Post-fermentation, the cherries are pulped, leaving the grain with mucilage
   
   
4. Another 36-hour fermentation follows
   
   
5. The coffee is washed to remove mucilage
   
   
6. Drying takes place in a solar dryer for 12-21 days
   
   
7. Final moisture content of the coffee is between 10.5% to 11%.

How does Khipu Coffee know Ebert? 

We were introduced to Ebert in 2022 through a mutual connection - a friend who worked with Ebert and was a green coffee buyer for Puku Puku, a specialty coffee chain in Peru. It was later in the year in November 2022 that we visited Ebert and his family at their farm. In 2023 we made sure to visit each other in Puno for Ficafe in November 2023 and it was a pleasure to be there while he was awarded 18th Place at the Cup of Excellence awards. 

What do Ebert and his family want you to know

Ebert and his family are deeply committed to sustainable and respectful farming practices. They focus on agroforestry systems, soil regeneration, and increasing biodiversity. Although their coffee isn't officially organic certified due to cost constraints, they avoid synthetic pesticides and fertilisers, aligning with organic principles. The family's approach to farming is deeply rooted in tradition and education, aiming to produce high-quality coffee while nurturing their land and community.