Among the tens of thousands affected by the recent explosion in Beirut, Lebanon, were our friends & partners, papercup. This coffee aims to help & support them and their community.

Our Beirut-based friends and partners, papercup, have – like many thousands of Lebanon residents – been enormously affected by the recent explosion in the city’s port. In support of the team and the community they serve, we bring you this special release filter coffee from Peru’s Cusco region. 50% of all sales will be donated to impact Lebanon.

The Cause

On Tuesday 4th August 2020, Beirut, Lebanon, was shaken by an enormous explosion that devastated the city and those living within it. Among the tens of thousands affected were our friends and partners Papercup, an independent bookshop and cafe located less than two kilometres from the Port of Beirut. Thankfully, the team is safe and well, but they’re still coming to terms with the direct and long-term repercussions of this week’s events.

In instances like this, the natural reaction is to want to help, but the challenge is in identifying how to do this in a constructive way. After some thought and conversations with the Papercup team, we’ve chosen to donate 50% of all proceeds (£6.00) from the sale of Ignacio Bajar to Impact Lebanon’s Disaster Relief Fund.

This not-for-profit organisation focuses its efforts on bringing the Lebanese community together to pursue initiatives that deliver impact for the country. Their immediate energy has now turned to providing relief to those afflicted by the recent catastrophe as they identify, select and donate to carefully selected apolitical and nonsectarian NGOs.

The Producer

Ignacio and his family began tending to their Typica and Bourbon coffees in Alto Cedruyoc in 2003. They use organic compost and both harvest and depulp the coffee by hand. After depulping the coffee is wet fermented for 18 hours before being fully washed. It is dried on raised beds in covered tunnels, built courtesy of funds from the Valle Inca Association, for up to 15 days.

The Association

In 2019 we visited Peru’s Cusco region with José Prudencio, Valle Inca Association’s president, to get to know some of their members first hand and taste through many samples to make this year’s selections.

From around 100 members in 2018, that number almost doubled in 2019! This is predominantly thanks to word of mouth, with producers telling their neighbours of the premium prices that they were able to receive, having been able to access a more discerning coffee market through the association.

All the members are working organically and are certified as such via the Valle Inca group. For a member to join, there needs to be a baseline of quality met, dictated in part by altitude and the type of varieties planted, but ultimately it is down to the desire of each member to improve their quality through hard work. The group provides agronomical advice and training as well as pre-financing, so the farmer members are supported in multiple ways.

Ignacio Bejar

Dedicated to sourcing, roasting and serving the best coffee possible.

Ignacio Bejar

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Ignacio Bejar