Sumaq Tanta means “good bread” in the indigenous Quechua language and comes from the fact that the 236 coffee growers here (who happen to be women) are also part owners of a bakery in the main town of Quillabamba. Each farmer has an average of four acres of coffee grown under the canopy of the tropical cloud forest on the Andes eastern slopes. 80% of the plants are heirloom variety Typica, grown at elevations up to 6600 feet, and 100% of the coffee is certified organic. In addition to coffee for export, many of the women produce flour, honey, chocolate and roasted coffee, most of which they sell or use in the Quilliamba bakery. The Canadian Ambassador to Peru recognized Sumaq Tanta for its Leadership in Women Program in Peru, and we awarded them a Special Reserve donation in 2006.

On the heels of success of their first bakery (which was established three years ago with help from an Allegro donation), the goal of their current Special Reserve project is to purchase equipment for a second bakery location. The 236 co-op members have many goals for the second location, including generating additional income, continuing to improve the nutritional content of their diets, and increasing agricultural outputs from the production of crops (wheat flour, yams, bananas, soybeans, and corn ) used as ingredients for their breads. Lastly, they plan to expand into the production of pastries so the bakery can accommodate more wholesale business.

And as the bakeries thrive, so, too does the social status of women in the community. Sumaq Tanta has sparked a lot of buzz in the area as the women, whose coffee is produced in smaller quantities and with a greater focus on quality, were receiving a premium over their husbands’ coffees. As a result, many men within the community are granting more land for Sumaq coffee production and letting their wives control more of the business model.