Lines

Peru

Support a new generation of coffee producers. Choose from young and innovative farmers and exporters to independent and sustainable cooperatives.

The 5th largest producer of Arabica in the world, Peru is the world’s biggest exporter of Organic coffee with more than 90 thousand certified hectares. The country’s coffee sector has a strong history of cooperation yet the domestic market is dominated by larger traders. Less than 30% of smallholders are part of cooperatives. That’s why Algrano’s team focuses on independent organisations with community values and traceability.

Verified Sellers from

Peru

Discover the right supplier for your roastery, from innovative farmers and independent exporters to certified cooperatives. Volume lots, micro-lots, blends or single varieties... You'll find what you're looking for.

Read More
Profile Picture

Origin Coffee Lab

Group of Farms
FairTrade, FairTrade, Organic Bio Suisse, Organic, Organic

Origin Coffee Lab (OCL) is a direct-trade exporter in the Cajamarca region, northern Peru. Established over 5 years ago with one clear mission: to guarantee our producers a fair price and assist them to achieve long-term results. For many years, the local market remained fixed on paying lower rates that only generated short-term profits and put quantity over quality. At OCL, we believed from the get-go that our rates must also be sustainable. Through our value-based approach, we work directly with producers by paying premiums congruent with the quality of the coffee. We are proud to be the first company in Cajamarca to do so. We pay the full price upfront to the farmer. Based on a rough cupping score (done in situ at our lab), our prices start at 10% above the local market price. With micro lots beginning at 50% above local prices. At Origin Coffee Lab we believe that cup qualities are intrinsically linked with the quality of life of the small shareholder. Simply put, quality means a beautiful-tasting cup of coffee and good quality of life for the farmer. We work towards developing relationships, practices, and procedures that become a lasting and deeply ingrained part of the community. This allows them to improve their living standards, plan for the future and re-invest in their businesses. For us to deliver a meaningful and accurate impact in the community, we have organized 220 growers into 17 committees based on a unique farmer-led model. This model is structured to address four key areas: Training, Finance Access, Market Access and Data sharing. The purpose of these committees is to empower farmers so they are equipped with precise tools to approach the very real-life problems they face in their farms and communities. As an exporter, our promise is to provide radical transparency to the supply chain. This transparency will be chiefly embodied by the total financial visibility in everything that Origin does. Our goal is to change the nature of the conversation in coffee to how we can improve the farmers' lives, not just how much they are being paid. As Origin Coffee Lab has developed in the community, so has the participation of the farmers. Fostering direct relationships between growers and roasters allows for more open communication skills, constantly implementing sustainable farming practices and improving coffee quality. We are proud to have a years-long working relationship with several producers who are consistently winning the top 5 Cup of Excellence award since 2016.

Profile Picture

COOPERATIVA AGRARIA CAFETALERA VALLE ALTO LTDA.

Cooperative
FairTrade, Organic

The Cooperative began as a work of social project of a group of students who are children of coffee farmers, from the Pedro Ruiz Gallo National University who participated in the program "Give back to your land what it gave you" who are concerned about the aging of the population of farmers in the country due to the consequences of climate change, they traveled to the district of Lonya Grande to train young people on issues related to sustainable agriculture; Later, on the initiative of the farmers themselves, it was decided to form an organization. In May 2016 we were established as Cooperativa de Servicios Multiples Valle Alto and it was in the month of March 2022 that it became Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Valle Alto Ltda. From the beginning we work mainly with young farmers of both sexes, with the philosophy that "young farmers represent the future of rural development agriculture in Peru", they are more innovative, creative, dynamic and have the potential to overcome challenges. of food security in the future.

Profile Picture

Cooperativa Agraria Aprocassi

Cooperative, Mill, Exporter
FairTrade, UTZ Certified, Organic, Organic, US Organic

APROCASSI has 600 active members distributed throughout the provinces of San Ignacio and Jaen in the department of Cajamarca, with crops grown from 1,000 to 2,500 meters. The cooperative develops social and environmental projects. We focus on reforestation, the development of beekeeping and honey production and fostering a group of young entrepreneurs. Aprocassi's history goes back to 1997 when San Ignacio families were in conflict with a Canadian mining multinational whose activity would have a massive impact on the ecosystem. This opposition was backed by the Catholic church and farmers alike, who envisioned a more sustainable future for themselves. With this in mind, reverend Humberto Tapia Días created an association to provide an alternative for the area's economy based on organic agriculture. Aprocassi was born in March 2000 and became a cooperative later in 2010. Our coffee portfolio is made of: Santa Fe Gourmet, scoring 85 points; La Estrella Superior, 84; Santuario Cafe de Excelencia, 83; Paramo Cafe Especial, 82; and Chaupe Cafe Bueno, 81. We also offer special origins like El Condor and Guayabal and single-farm micro-lots.

Profile Picture

Cooperativa Agraria Coopagro

Cooperative, Exporter
FairTrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance

We are a Cooperative of first-degree coffee producers under Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance and UTZ certification standards, located in the Province of Jaén. COOPAGRO PERU is a sustainable organization since it has producers dedicated to making continuous improvements in the management and processing of their production, complying with the requirements of the national and international market. Likewise, we value the important work of today's women, and that is why the one who represents the COOPERATIVE is Mrs. María Elizabeth Vela Guevara, who has already been taking on this challenge for 3 years, promoting good practices of Fair Trade in her associates and encouraging more women to join the directives of its bases.

Profile Picture

Chacra Don Dago

Single Farm
Organic, Organic Demeter

Since 2005 Chacra D'Dago has been a farm that produces coffee with biodynamic practices (Rudolf Steiner practices). In 2008 it obtained the Grand Cru in the specialty coffee championship held at Cafeoteque (Paris, France) In 2011 it was the first coffee farm in Peru to obtain the Demeter Certification. Chacra D'Dago is positioned in more than 5 countries as a Designation of Origin.

Profile Picture

Cooperativa Agraria Ecoforest

Cooperative
C.A.F.E practices, FairTrade, FairTrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance

We have a certified quality production, which we currently export to Europe and North America, with responsibility and commitment being the emblem of our commercial activities. We are a cooperative that transcends and strengthens the commitment to grow together with its producers, promoting that coffee production is a sustainable source for our communities. We make history from the city of Jaén, in Peru, for the world. We are Ecoforest, an environmentally and socially responsible cooperative.

Profile Picture

APROAGRO LIMCOF

Association
FairTrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance

The Asociación de Productores Agropecuarios Lima Coffee Perú reunites coffee smallholders from altitudes above 1,000 masl in San Ignacio, Jaén, to produce good quality blends and micro-lots. Lima Coffee has organic and Fairtrade certifications. The cooperative also runs its own cafeteria in Jaén.

Profile Picture

CoopchebI

Single Farm
FairTrade, Organic Bio Suisse, Organic

The Cooperative is located in the department of Junín, district of San Luis de Shuaro, in the Santa Herminia - Palomar annex. We have 2 processing plants one in San Luis de Shuaro and another in Perene where we process the best coffee in the world winner gold medal in Paris - France organized by AVPA then in 2005 silver medal, 2009 award for maintaining the consistency and quality of coffee, 2015 silver medal in the roasted coffee contest in Paris AVPA, 2015 gold medal at the EXPOCAFE in Peru; We continue working to obtain the best coffee and now we are making micro batches we have yellow caturra, red caturra, geisha which is the champang of coffees, natural coffee, honey coffee, typical, cherry blend We are a Cooperative that has 150 members and we continue to work with other cooperatives so that they obtain the same consistency and quality of our coffee. The people who work under the advice of Eng. Felix Marin are professionals with values and principles.

Country overview

Coffee is a big deal for Peru’s economy - it’s one of the main agricultural exports. Nearly 225 thousand families grow it, employing a large part of the countryside population. The coffee belt, also called Yunga or Selva Alta (High Jungle), stretches along the Eastern slopes of the Andes, from 800 m to 2000 m above sea level. The six main producing regions are Junín, San Martín, Cajamarca, Cusco, Amazonas, and Huánuco. 

The coffee harvest in Peru runs from April to September on plots averaging 3 to 5 hectares, in steep hillsides with (mostly) dense tree coverage. If it sounds challenging it’s because it is. Coffee cherries are hand-picked, which drives up production costs, often offset by underpaid family labour. 

Peru produces only Arabica coffee. The main varieties are Typica, Caturra, Catimor, Pache and Bourbon. Typica was the cultivar of choice until 2012, when a leafrust outbreak severely affected 80 thousand hectares of coffee plantation. Catimor helped the recovery, but yields are still low, so smallholders often take other jobs off-season to make ends meet.

Algrano allowed me to get feedback on the quality of the coffees we offer and how roasters use them, so we can make better recommendations to new buyers. We review all the roaster information and contact those who showed interest in our coffees. We have everything in one page and adjust the offers to what sells best, review what doesn't sell and understand why, as well as better promote the best-selling coffees.

MARJORIE PARRILLA | Cooperativa Valle Alto

History

Coffee made its way to Peru around 1740, with commercial production kicking off by the 1830s. The sector has faced its share of challenges, like the civil war with the Shining Path guerrilla in the 1980s and 1990s, the 2012 leaf rust outbreak, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

The cooperative movement began in the 1960s alongside agrarian reforms. Back then, producers banded together to fight low prices from intermediaries – a problem that persists to this day. 

Groups like the Junta Nacional de Café (JNC) and the Cámara Peruana del Café y Cacao (CPC) highlight that prices in the internal market have been below production costs since the early 2000s. USDA data shows an average farm gate price of US$ 1.53/kg while production costs hover around US$ 2.2/kg.

Organic production and cooperativism 

Many roasters love Peruvian coffees for their mild, fruity, and floral profiles. And if you’re after certified coffees, Peru’s got you covered: 80% of its production is organic. But remember, not all certified coffees are created equal. While some farmers and cooperatives actively care for their environment, many smallholders don’t fertlise simply because they can’t afford it.

Cooperativism is crucial when considering organic coffee from Peru. Producers who are members of cooperatives (or sell to some specialty exporters) get technical assistance, training, and access to organic inputs. Yet, only 30% of smallholders are part of an organisation.

Producers who are not members of cooperatives often sell coffee to intermediaries al barrer, with no criteria to assess and reward quality. They get cash in hand but no yearly support. Without fertilizers, land can be farmed to depletion, leading to slash and burn practices for new plots.

At Algrano, we believe it’s important to source coffee from cooperatives and exporters in Peru who provide technical assistance to producers and reward quality through pricing. We apply this criterion to verify sellers on our marketplace, supporting a stronger supply chain. We also work with a few independent mid-size farms – a rare group in the country.

We define prices for parchment according to the international market. But there’s an additional factor in Peru. We’re in direct competition with local merchants. They stockpile coffee to sell to large traders with no traceability. In our case, the prices we list on the platform include a quality premium to producers and full traceability. At the end of the season, we evaluate sales and reward farmers with bigger differentials against local prices.

PERCY DANIEL PAREDES ARÉVALO | Ecoforest

Quality

Peruvian coffee used to have a reputation for short shelf life, with roasters noting that the cup profile of green coffee faded quickly due to poor drying techniques. Sun drying on farms without moisture meters led to uneven drying and unstable quality.

But here's the deal: this has changed over the last decade. After the leaf rust outbreak, Peru invested in a major recovery program to reverse a 40% drop in exports. Embracing specialty coffee became a strategy to boost the sector and find buyers who value coffee beyond certifications. That’s how the first Cup of Excellence in Peru was born in 2017. Today, this coffee is highly appreciated for its consistency and stable shelf life. Things took quite a turn!

Found a coffee you love?

Know the producer already? Algrano makes direct trade simple.

Peruvian coffee is in demand and might sell out faster than you think

Peruvian coffee is in demand and might sell out faster than you think

July 18, 2024
Luiza Pereira Furquim

Exporters and cooperatives from Peru are seeing a surge in contracts despite high parchment prices. Leaf rust has led to a short supply of clean cup lots—just when Peruvian coffee became the go-to option to cover shipping delays from Ethiopia. Get the full picture here.

Read more