The Lucmabamba community is located 1 hour from the capital of Cusco’s Santa Teresa district. Found on the left side of the Salkantay River, it owes its name to its waters which originate in the snow-capped Salkantay mountains.
The producers of the community intercrop their Typica, Caturra and Bourbon-varietal coffee plants using native leguminous Pacay trees for shade, nitrogen fixing, and optimal moisture retention in the soil. After harvesting their coffee, they carry out fermentation in plastic barrels for approximately 13 hours and then dry the coffee in solar dryers for about 15 days, depending on weather.
This small community is made up of 50 families, most of them speakers of the native Quechua language.
They’re all smallholders with an average farm size of 2.5 hectares.
While the majority of this community are dedicated to coffee production, tourism plays a large economic role here as well. Located on the road to Machu Picchu, Lucmabamba is is a popular tourist passage.
