Acknowledgments
Best Coffee Producer in VRAEM
Johanna Paternina, a passion for good coffee
Johanna Paternina’s passion for coffee is limitless. On her plantation, Arisumak—covering an area of 10 hectares at an altitude of over 1,800 m (5,900 ft.) in the village of Tunkimayo, in Quillabamba, Cusco—the coffee she grows is of such high quality that she can’t help but feel proud of it.
“We’ve been growing coffee for 25 years. It’s wonderful work,” says this Cusco native who will soon turn 41 years old. Johanna and her husband, Vicente, along with their two children, decided to bring their beans to the seaside town of Punta Hermosa, in the department of Lima, a place that is not exactly known for its taste in coffee. Or at least, that’s what people think. But after opening her Arisumak specialty coffee shop, Johanna proved that if your coffee is good, people will drink it, wherever they happen to be, no matter whether it’s winter or summer. The café is a tribute to her native land, to which she frequently returns as part of her plan to ensure that she always has the freshest beans.
There is no rest for Johanna, even on Sundays or holidays. Arisumak opens every day at 7 a. m., and the customers keep streaming in. But Johanna doesn’t just serve coffee. She wants people to learn the story behind their steaming, aromatic brew, the effort that goes into each step of the production chain. She explains it all with enthusiasm, and people listen. The café fills up thanks to its menu, which includes delicious sandwiches made with cheese from Cusco or asado.
She roasts the coffee onsite, after carefully selecting the finest beans. She offers other varietals, as well, from catimore to the exotic geisha, placing a bold espresso or comforting cappuccino in front of us. She also has a variety of methods for preparing coffee, including a Japanese siphon and the V60. These systems achieve an exquisite extraction that allows us to revisit our relationship with coffee, which should never be black or bitter, like most people tend to drink it in Peru.
Many coffee farmers remain on their plantations, but not Johanna. She believes there is nothing better than a farmer who is in touch with her end customers. Soon, she will open a café in Cusco. She has achieved her dreams, and nothing can stop her from growing now.
