Alarcón Coronel family
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The Alarcón Coronel family are multi-generational coffee producers based in the San José del Alto district of Jaén, Cajamarca, Peru. They are recognized for operating Finca La Palestina, a collective of family-managed parcels that has gained international acclaim for high-quality specialty coffee production, including varieties like Geisha.
The story of the Alarcón Coronel family begins in 1976, when Don José Alarcón and Doña Zobeida Coronel relocated their family to the cloud-soaked hills of San José del Alto in the Jaén province of Northern Peru. Seeking to transform what was then cattle pasture into a productive agricultural venture, the couple established the foundation for what would eventually become Finca La Palestina. Over the course of nearly five decades, the family expanded their holdings, turning a fledgling farm into a sprawling, multi-generational residential and agricultural compound.
Today, Finca La Palestina is not a single monolithic plot, but rather a collection of individual parcels managed by different members of the Alarcón Coronel family. This structure allows for a collective approach to farming, where three generations of the family live and work together. The farm spans a significant range of elevations, reaching up to 2,100 meters above sea level, which provides the cool, high-altitude climate necessary for cultivating high-quality specialty coffee.
Quality control is a central pillar of the family's operations. While individual family members manage their respective parcels, the processing of the coffee is centralized. Family members José and Anibal oversee the wet mill operations, ensuring consistency in fermentation and drying techniques across the various lots. This centralized oversight is a critical component of their ability to maintain the high standards required by specialty coffee roasters.
In terms of agricultural output, the family has diversified their plantings to include sought-after varieties such as Geisha, Marshell, and SL-9. The family has noted that the land in this specific region of Cajamarca possesses a unique fertility, which they credit for the ease with which their coffee trees thrive. This combination of favorable terroir and meticulous post-harvest processing has allowed them to produce coffees with distinct floral and fruity profiles that have attracted the attention of international specialty coffee buyers.
For the roaster and the consumer, the Alarcón Coronel family represents the potential of smallholder, family-run farms to achieve excellence through long-term commitment and generational knowledge transfer. By focusing on quality over quantity and maintaining a cohesive family management structure, they have successfully positioned their coffee within the premium specialty market, with their harvests being featured by prominent international roasters since at least 2022.
The legacy of the Alarcón Coronel family serves as a case study in the evolution of Peruvian coffee production. From their humble beginnings as pioneers in a remote region of Jaén, they have built a sustainable, multi-generational enterprise that balances traditional farming values with the rigorous demands of the modern specialty coffee industry. Their continued success remains a testament to the impact of family-led agricultural stewardship in the Cajamarca region.