IncaFé Organic Coffee

Values

About

IncaFé Coffee was set up in November 2006 by husband and wife team, Joop Verbeek and Carmen Castro who are originally from the Netherlands and Peru, respectively. They roast exclusively certified organic and Fairtrade coffee, and are the first roastery in NZ to be Toitū Carbon Zero certified.

“With our knowledge of Peru and knowing the impact that organic coffee has, plus the fact that we love coffee, promoting organic coffee was an easy choice. We need to consume better to make a change.”

IncaFé imports their coffee beans mainly from different regions in Peru, and from other countries like India, Indonesia and Ethiopia. Peru is ideally suited for speciality coffee with much organic-rich soils at high altitudes and good rainfall. Their Ethiopian coffee is supplied through Trade Aid, but all other coffee is bought directly from coffee cooperatives. All their suppliers have organic certifications and Fairtrade certifications.

Much of their Peruvian coffee comes from COOPCHEBI. This cooperative was formed from a conglomerate of plantations from mostly 6 brothers, plantation workers and a number of cousins in 2001. The original plantation was set up by Hector Marin and his wife Rosa in 1942. COOPCHEBI were one of the first cooperatives to become fully organic certified and view organic agriculture and looking after the environment as a social and moral responsibility.

IncaFé makes an effort to visit their coffee farmers every year, especially their biggest supplier in Peru. This sometimes means travelling over the Andes to remote areas, hours away from the capital city of Lima.

We only buy Fairtrade certified coffee, which establishes a fair price above the coffee price set by the stock market. However we pay above FT pricing to allow for a living wage.

They also work with the Permata Gayo Cooperative based in Aceh, Indonesia, which delivers exceptional quality and traceability by bringing the full process of coffee production from farmer to final export under one roof. Today, Permata Gayo Cooperative has more than 3000 members from 44 villages. As a result of their growth and improvements, they are able to share more of the final price of coffee with their farmers.

IncaFé Organic Coffee’s coffee beans are grown in forested ecosystems where native trees, canopy shade, and an abundance of insect and bird life all contribute to healthy plants in fertile soil, producing full-flavoured coffee beans.

Trees stop soil erosion, trap moisture, create stable microclimates, provide continuous compost and nutrition, harbour animals, and maintain a healthy naturally balanced ecosystem. The result is healthy, nutritious soil that allows organic coffee plants’ roots to grow deeper and suck up more nutrients, yielding slow-grown, full-flavoured coffee beans.

Since 2019, all their coffee is packed in home compostable bags. There are 3 layers in the bag. The inner layer is a bioplastic that allows heat sealing and the middle barrier is a highly sophisticated bioplastic that gives the barrier to moisture, O2 and UV light. The outer layer is kraft paper that allows printing and gives structure to the bag. These bioplastics were selected since they are certified home compostable against the Aus/NZ standard and registered. Kraft paper is a basic paper that is home compostable and IncaFé uses a minimum of water-based and colour inks. The valves are also certified home compostable. For best results, IncaFé recommends cutting up the bag before adding it to your compost.

IncaFé also sponsor Trees for Survival, a charitable trust which works with over 150 schools and local communities across New Zealand to grow and plant native trees along waterways and on erosion-prone hillsides. Furthermore, they give back to Trees that Count, Forest and Bird, Organics Aotearoa, and a number of local charities like the Special Children's Extravaganza, Oxfam Trailwalker, NPDC Fresh Air Challenge and more.

Dive Deeper:

Coffee and growers

Ethical trade

Packaging