Members of our team just returned from visiting the Pangoa Cooperative in Peru, where they spent time with our longtime partners learning more about the farmers’ work to build a stronger future for coffee through long-term planning, habitat restoration, and sustainable agriculture.
Pangoa began as a cooperative in 1977 and is approaching its 50th anniversary. Dean’s Beans was their first international buyer EVER, beginning our relationship in 2003. In 2006, Pangoa and Dean’s Beans launched “Restoring the Sacred,” a farmer-led People-Centered Development project, together. This project focuses on reforestation and ecological restoration in coffee-growing communities. Walking this property all these years later felt like seeing those regenerative practices fully take root.
The story of this land says a lot about the way Pangoa approaches farming.
In 2014, the cooperative acquired a piece of property that had been badly damaged by conventional pineapple production. The soil was exhausted, much of the tree cover had been deforested, and erosion had washed away the soil and hillsides.
“¡Qué Piña!” In Peru, the phrase literally translates to “what a pineapple,” but it’s also a common expression meaning “what a bummer.” In this case, it fit both the environmental damage left behind by industrial pineapple production and the challenge of bringing the land back to life.
Today, native trees, coffee plants, bamboo, and ground cover bring life back to the farm. One of the first things we noticed was how carefully the land is managed. Fallen leaves and natural plant debris are left in place instead of cleared away, helping return nutrients to the soil while protecting it from erosion during heavy rains. The farm feels alive in a way that comes from patience and careful stewardship.
This property is managed by Flor, Pangoa’s Special Projects Manager, alongside Miriam, Pangoa’s Special Projects Coordinator. Flor and Miriam guide the cooperative’s farm restoration work each day. Together, they oversee the ongoing care of the land and the long-term planning needed to succeed in restoring soil health and habitat biodiversity.
Standing there, surrounded by healthy coffee plants beneath the shade canopy, it was hard not to think about the full circle of this project. What began nearly twenty years ago as a shared commitment to reforestation and sustainable farming has become something you can walk through, touch, and taste in the cup.