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Food, Peru

Mistura 2015 – Gastronomy Fair Peru, Isn’t Just for Foodies

Mistura 2015, Peru’s world renowned gastronomy fair is now in full swing, featuring exhibitions of artisan works,  educational sessions, and of course wonderful Peruvian fruits, vegetables, and every kind of cuisine imaginable. If that’s not enough, there are traditional dance groups, musical events, and even food trucks!

This event is the eighth year, and is being presented oceanside in the Costa del Sol park below Magdalena del Mar. It’s the second largest foodie fair in the world, and attendees come from all over the globe to sample award winning plates, and the best of Peru.

We stopped in to check it out:
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Peru, Travel

Machu Picchu Becomes “Sister City” with Otama, Japan

 

Machu Picchu has formally become a sister city with the town of Otoma, Japan. Otama is located in the Fukishima prefecture.

Finally, after years of searching and then finding a twin town, Machu Picchu has has paired with Otama, Japan.

Located in the Fukushima region of Japan, the small town of Otama has a big, and special place in the heart of Machu Picchu, Peru. In 1917, Japanese native of Otama, Yokichi Nouchi, moved to Peru and worked as a railroad employee installing paths to Machu Picchu. At 20 years of age, he began his life-long work supporting and contributing to tourism development in the region until his death in 1969.

So it is with this connection that the town of Otama was accepted as a twin town with Machu Picchu three years ago.

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Peru, Travel

What! Jungle Oddity – A European Style Castle in the Cloud Forest

Lamas Castle, San Martin, Peru

In the small village of Lamas, San Martin region,  is a sight one would never expect to see in this cloud forest area outside of Tarapoto. A real European style castle!

Lamas is a native community known not only for excellent cocoa, but also prized for the rich coffee that comes from the surrounding mountains.
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Coffee

Just over one month until ExpoEspeciales (Specialty Coffee Expo)

 

Next month is ExpoEspeciales (Specialty Coffee Expo) in Bogota, Columbia. Representatives from SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America,) along with representatives from the International Women’s Coffee Alliance will be speaking. Here’s an update from the Global Coffee Report:

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Coffee

Cleveland’s Six Shooter Coffee Aims High with Fresh Roasts and Craft Ceramics

For all my friends and family in Cleveland, Ohio: I came across this article & thought it might be of interest…

Cleveland, Ohio, roasting startup Six Shooter Coffee is taking aim at the Waterloo district, setting up a shop that will be open in the burgeoning arts community this fall.

Anchored by Cleveland’s iconic venue the Beachland Ballroom, the neighborhood is also home to two record stores, the Praxis nonprofit fiber art studio, the Arts Collinwood organization and the Brick ceramics and designs studio.

With a farm-to-table restaurant now open as well as a new brewery nearby, Six Shooter Coffee’s hand-crafted coffee will be an ideal addition to a scene where owner Peter Brown has already forged some exciting connections.

 

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Coffee, Import/Export, Peru

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

It’s Sunday in Tarapoto, and a sometimes cloudy, sometimes blue sky day with steamy temps and that jungle sultriness that is welcome when coming from Lima, but tortuous on a hot night when every sound is amplified and your skin is covered with a thin film of sweat. One can hope for rain, it feels imminent.

The coffee has shipped, it’s slowly working its way to Manzanillo, Mexico, where after a brief port call will head on to Los Angeles and finally to the warehouse there. At that point, we’ll have the goods, and the hard work of sending samples, meeting with roasters, and following up on web contacts and sales begins. Meanwhile, the waiting is the hardest part…

 

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Coffee

Three Reasons Why You Should Drink Direct Market Coffee

 

Coffee is just coffee, right? For many habitual coffee drinkers, the answer might be “yes.” For those who have discovered the joys of specialty coffee though, there’s nothing like a perfectly roasted, freshly ground, and well prepared cup of high grade java.

 

If you desire not only high quality coffee, but also want to foster a system that enables family farmers to succeed and prosper in a more economically sound and sustainable fashion, then you want to support direct market (direct trade) coffees.

Here’s three reasons why you should support your “local” coffee farmer…
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