Improving the resilience of young coffee farmers through the production and sale of dehydrated coffee pulp

Project Details

This 12 month project is being delivered in partnership with CACVI, a coffee producing co-operative located in the Southern Highlands of Peru.

At CACVI, many farmers rely on coffee production as their only source of income. Access to training and finance are barriers to diversifying into alternative activities to increase household income and improve their living conditions.

This project will increase the economic income for 58 young coffee farmers located across 11 zonal committees in the district of Inkawasi. All farmers are members of CACVI’s Youth Committee. Currently, the farmers have an average monthly income of 1,125 PEN (£240) from the sale of coffee which is insufficient to meet all the needs of their household.

Through the provision of training and equipment, the young farmers will produce dehydrated coffee pulp from the by-product of their coffee production therefore reducing the waste generated by coffee production and increasing their income. Coffee pulp is a by-product obtained from the wet processing of coffee, representing up to 40% of the fruit’s weight. Incorrect disposal of coffee pulp poses environmental threats as it can pollute water sources and farmland.

The youth committee will be supported to establish their own dehydrated coffee pulp business. They will receive training in coffee pulp processing, be provided with necessary equipment and materials and an existing building will be converted into a laboratory to implement quality control checks.

As part of this project, CACVI will establish a centre for quality control to ensure the dehydrated pulp they produce is of high quality to meet the demands of the export market.

The project will also build the in-house capacity of CACVI so they are able to export independently in the near future ensuring sustainability.