High in the mists of the Northern Andes of Peru lies the Cajamarca region. Here the ancient Inca people ruled for centuries, and their descendants still possess gold, though not of the type which their last ruler, Atahualpa, once gave as his ransom. Coffees from here have been called “Cajamarca Gold.” The people are proud of their heritage and of their coffee, and work very hard to produce specialty quality beans.
Many towns in the Cajamarca region can be accessed only by gravel roads, which rains can render impassable. Electricity is not a given, nor is a telephone system readily available or reliable. Schooling and medical service, too, lags behind, but as coffee producers work with each other and their cooperatives, they are making improvements to
their lives and communities.