Conservation International together with its partner, the National Service of Protected Areas (SERNANP), have made the Alto Mayo Protected Forest (AMPF), through its Coffee Cupping School, the first protected natural area in the world to obtain the international certification of "Q Venue Professional" by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI).
© Sernanp/BPAM
CQI is an internationally recognized organization that works to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of the people who produce it. Thereby, the "AMPF - SERNANP Cupping School" has become one more important space to promote sustainable development in this corner of Peru, where for the last 10 years Conservation International and its partners, have been working to offer greater income opportunities to the local population, hand in hand with nature, and especially, with coffee. Cocoa, native pitahaya, and ecotourism initiatives, alongside coffee, have diversified local economies and brought more opportunities to the local people. But now, with the CQI certification, young people who help preserve the AMPF will also have the ability to obtain the title of 'Q Grader' that will give them international recognition and help them to grow professionally and improve their income, says Ivonne Paico, head of the AMPF.
The first international course will be held in July, as part of the 35th anniversary celebrations of the Alto Mayo Protected Forest. Joimer Vargas, one of the young students of the school upon learning that he has the opportunity to be a 'Q Grader' taster, said : "Before, for me, coffee was simply harvested, dried and sold to the first intermediary. Then, we signed the Conservation Agreements with AMPF and since then, we have worked really hard to improve our quality in order to target more exclusive markets. And today, I am about to obtain the 'Q Grader' certificate, a title that all of us who are involved in the quality control of coffee long for".
© Sernanp/BPAM
Joimer adds that he likes the world of coffee because it has made him disciplined and there is always something new to learn and share with the farmer. In the Cupping School he began as an amateur cupper and today he is a coffee quality control assistant in the AMPF Laboratory. Luis Espinel, Executive Director and Vice President of Conservation International Peru, points out that together with the partner ECOAN (Andean Ecosystems) and Sernanp, they are strengthening the capacities of men and women so that they can promote and actively participate in sustainable development in the region.
To date, 36 young men and women have been trained in this School, and so far 6 of them have reached an advanced level and will be able to take the Pre-Q course provided by the co-management of AMPF, where they will get prepared for the certification for the 'Q grader' license.