Graciela Espinoza

Producer

Graciela Espinoza

Graciela Espinoza is a coffee producer based in Las Pirias, a rural area near the town of Chirinos in Cajamarca, northern Peru. On her small two hectare farm she focuses on producing high quality coffees from traditional varieties such as Caturra and Pache. Over the years she has developed a careful approach to natural processing, a method that can be difficult to manage in the region’s humid harvest conditions. By selecting only fully ripe cherries and closely managing fermentation and drying, she has been able to achieve consistent quality year after year.

We work with Graciela through Finca Churupampa, a family run farm and exporter in Chirinos that connects smaller producers with the specialty coffee market. Through this partnership we have access to coffees that reflect both the work of individual farmers like Graciela and the wider coffee culture of the region.

At around 1900 masl, cool temperatures and a humid harvest climate shape how coffee is grown and processed.

Coffee in the Chirinos area is typically grown at high elevations, often between 1800 and 2000 masl. Graciela’s farm sits within this range, where cooler temperatures slow the ripening of the cherries and help develop balanced, expressive cup profiles. She grows mainly Caturra and Pache, varieties that are well suited to the region’s conditions.

Producing natural coffees here requires particular care. The harvest season in northern Peru often coincides with damp weather, which can make drying slow and unpredictable. To manage this, Graciela selects only the ripest cherries before beginning fermentation and drying them on raised beds, allowing air to circulate and helping maintain stability throughout the process.

Through Finca Churupampa’s network, producers like Graciela receive support with drying infrastructure, organic compost practices and farm diversification. This collaborative approach helps small farms maintain quality while building more stable and sustainable livelihoods within the local coffee community.