Peru

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Despite being an oft-forgotten coffee producer, Peru’s not new to coffee growing, nor is it a small-scale player. In fact, Peru was the 10th largest coffee producer in the world in 2017, was one of the first countries in the Americas to receive coffee plants, and is generally regarded as a producer of exceptional beans. Peruvian coffee’s history is worth exploring and its beans are worth enjoying. Peru’s lower-altitude farms, like those found around the town of Nambale near the Peru-Ecuador border, tend to produce coffee with a mild acidity, medium body, and smooth notes of nuts, flowers, and gentle fruit. Once you go high into the Andes, like to farms surrounding Cusco and Machu Picchu, the coffee begins to feature a bright acidity, vibrant floral aromas, and a rich sweetness.

Peru began growing coffee pretty early for the region—around the mid-1700’s. We’re not exactly sure how it go there faster than to most of Central America, which was actually closer to the sources of the plants in the Caribbean. It’s a mystery. For most of Peru’s coffee history, however, the majority of the beans have been enjoyed locally. Though production grew steadily through the 1700’s and 1800’s, not really many beans were exported—and very few made it as far as the United States. Peru’s coffee industry has continued to grow over the last several decades. It’s the #10 coffee producer in the world and the #5 producer of arabica beans.

Peru’s relatively poor infrastructure has attracted a variety of organizations, funded by development groups, from around the world. As a result, Peru has become one of the world’s top producers of certified organic, Rainforest Alliance certified, and UTZ certified coffee.

Nearly 30% of the country’s small-holders are also now belong to local co-ops. These partnerships help farmers, especially rural farmers, market their beans to a larger audience and receive better pay because of it.

Though the high altitude of the Andes mountains, running right through Central Peru, provide optimal growing conditions for arabica coffee, there are also farms spread across the nation’s coastal plain—and even a few in Peru’s jungle region of the Lower Amazon Basin. There really aren’t many areas of the country that don’t grow coffee.

Peru’s lower-altitude farms, like those found around the town of Nambale near the Peru-Ecuador border, tend to produce coffee with a mild acidity, medium body, and smooth notes of nuts, flowers, and gentle fruit. Once you go high into the Andes, like to farms surrounding Cusco and Machu Picchu, the coffee begins to feature a bright acidity, vibrant floral aromas, and a rich sweetness.

PERU COFFEE