Farmer Profile: Modesto Chinguel Alberca Modesto Chinguel Alberca is a second-generation coffee farmer based in the village of Sport Piura, near El Huaco in Huabal district. His mother was one of the village's original settlers over 40 years ago, and after the early death of his father, Modesto helped manage the family farm. Over time, he saved enough to purchase his own 3-hectare plot, which he now runs with his two sons. His high-altitude farm (1,950 - 2,000 masl) is planted with two varieties: Caturra and Bourbon. These were chosen for their cup quality and suitability to the region's cool climate, where Catimor performs poorly. The Bourbon variety, sourced from a friend in Cajamarca, has shown excellent adaptation and flavour - often displaying floral notes similar to East African types like SL28. Modesto and his sons follow sustainable practices, using organic fertilisers, planting nitrogen-fixing shade trees, and weeding manually. This thoughtful management allows them to produce around 100 bags of coffee per harvest, a high yield for Peru. Processing & Drying Modesto has refined a two-stage fermentation process tailored to his cool climate. Cherries are first floated and fermented whole in bags for 24 hours. The resulting juice (mosto) is mixed with sugarcane and reintroduced during a second 72-hour fermentation after pulping. Drying takes place on a covered wooden patio, resembling a parabolic dryer. The slow, 15–20 day drying period results in coffee with excellent stability and cup quality.