Sweet, delicate floral notes mingle with a crisp apple-like acidity in the lighter roast version of our favorite origin.

Flor del Norte is a fusion of the top coffees from Huabal, Peru and it comes to you via our transparency contract with the producer groups from the small Hamlets in the Huabal district. Each coffee in the blend is evaluated and painstakingly selected for quality.

There is a significant backstory to this coffee. It began in October of 2008 as Sacred Grounds ventured into Huabal for the first time. Under the guidance of KC O'keefe, we set out to form an alliance with the farmers of Huabal. The goal was to implement a transparency contract. This concept revolves around the notion that everyone in the supply chain should be represented and the details of their involvement written down. This system identifies and accounts for every penny of the final cost, including and most importantly, the price paid directly to the producer.

This concept of line-item all the way down to the producer is extremely rare. "Fair Trade Certified" does not make this guarantee as it only insures a minimum price paid to the cooperative, and sadly $1.51 only results in about .98 per pound down on the farm.

In the transparency contract we crafted with producers in Huabal and their cooperative, the range paid directly to the producers was $1.65 per pound for AA grade and $1.95 for AAA grade. This year nearly 85% of the coffees we selected were AAA grade.

In addition to the price paid directly to the producer, Sacred Grounds pays .05 per pound into a social benefit fund for members of CENFROCAFE. An additional .305 cents per pound is paid to cover organic certification costs, processing and transportation from the farm to the port.