Peru, Gilder Tantalean

Gilder Tantalean is a dedicated coffee producer who began cultivating coffee in 2019 and has been gradually improving the quality through careful experimentation with post-harvest techniques. His farm is located in the Nueva Tacabamba village, in the Pinto Recodo district in the province of Lamas, San Martin region. The farm spans 4 hectares, and coffee is cultivated alongside bananas for added income, while native tree species of Inga and Pacay are grown to provide natural shade.

This coffee undergoes a rigorous and thoughtful post-harvest process to enhance the quality and flavour, something which Gilder is continuously refining and perfecting, working with Jens Castañeda, a processing professional.

Gilder selectively harvests the ripest cherries and measures the Brix level to ensure that the sugars are high and in the desired range. He then floats the cherries in water to remove any defects and then starts with the fermentation.

The cherries are placed in sealed GrainPro bags for an anaerobic fermentation for 10 days, with regular monitoring of the pH levels to ensure consistency and quality. After this, the coffee is passed to a solar dryer and dried for 18 days, ensuring a slow and balanced drying period.

Gilder is dedicated to improving the quality of his coffee while respecting the environment and continuing the tradition of speciality coffee production in his region.

His farm is part of a cooperative, Capisam, that is starting to focus on speciality coffees with exotic varietals and experimental processes. The Capisam Cooperative was founded in 2020, with its headquarters in the district of Moyobamba.