Peru's 2026 harvest is smaller and later than usual - here's how we can help

What's happening this season

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Peru's producers are reporting yields down roughly 30–40% compared to last year.

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Two factors are driving the lower quantity of coffee:

• More rain during the growing and drying process
• Diseases that thrive in humid conditions, which have spread more widely as a result

Timing has shifted too. A wave of producers hit peak harvest in late June and early July -later than the usual rhythm - with more coming online through the rest of the summer.

"It's an atypical year for Peru," says Richard Jaramillo, the General Manager of Faical Coffee, a Peruvian specialty green coffee exporting company based in Jaén, Peru. "We tend to see two good years, two bad years. This year happened to be one of the bad ones, driven by climate change."

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On the ground, that's meant heavier rain throughout the drying process:

"Almost 95% of our production comes from small producers who handle every step on their own farm. That means depulping, fermenting, and drying, usually on open-air solar patios with no mechanical dryers. With this much humidity and rain, drying gets a lot harder." Richard Jaramillo, Faical Coffee.

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That means offers and samples are arriving in stages rather than all at once this year.

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The practical takeaway: expect the usual timeline to stretch into August and beyond, and plan sourcing decisions accordingly. Don't expect the season to look the way it normally does.

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Market shift

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A smaller, later harvest is a supply-chain reality, and sourcing plans need to reflect that. That said, the quality picture is a different story.

Peru's high-altitude terroir continues to support coffee, and producers are still investing in varieties like Geisha and Bourbon as the country's specialty segment keeps growing.

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Domestic demand for quality coffee is also rising, particularly in southern growing regions where instant coffee used to be preferred - a sign that the market is maturing, not shrinking. Organic and Fairtrade certification remain common across Algrano's Peruvian producers.

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That investment is showing up in who's staying on the land too. After 3 years of higher prices, producers are returning to their farms rather than leaving them.

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"What used to pay 400-500 soles (118-148 USD) now pays 1,000-1,200 soles (295-355 USD), practically double," Richard says. "Producers are staying, and we're seeing real generational renewal: sons and daughters who used to leave for the cities to study are coming back to the farm, with a different mindset: treating it like a business."

Cesar Marin of Chacra D' Dago, a third-generation, Demeter-certified biodynamic farm in the Peruvian Amazon, is seeing the same shift: "Three or four years ago, a lot of producers had left for the cities or other work. Now they're coming back. They've realized people are paying for coffee again."

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That longer-term thinking is paying off in resilience, too:

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"We've had a dry spell here the last two months, almost no rain," Cesar says, "but because the soil is so alive, it holds a lot of humidity. That's what twenty years of not using chemicals and taking care of the land gets you - we're not feeling the impact of the dry season the way others are."

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Why direct relationships matter more this season

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This is where sourcing through Algrano makes the biggest difference. Algrano's sourcing team is in active, near-daily contact with producers across Peru, and that relationship is doing real work this year.

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[PLACEHOLDER: producer quote — e.g., from Xavier's calls with Valle Alto, Gold Coffee, or Origin Coffee Lab, on what direct contact has meant for offer timing this season]

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That direct contact also means real-time visibility into what's actually happening on the ground. Long-term relationships with producers tend to translate into steadier pricing over time, too, because producers who know they can count on repeat business don't need to chase the highest bidder for every single lot. And because Algrano works with the same producers season after season, those producers prioritize roasters when supply is tighter - which matters more in a year like this one.

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That steadiness matters more this year because producers have more options pulling at them than ever before.

"It's not only about coffee demand," says Cesar Marin of Chacra D' Dago. "There are new coffee shops, new entrepreneurs, new coffee traders, new cooperatives, more competitive prices in the local market than before."

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The local market is more aggressive. With weekly local sales in farmers' markets, prices rising, and customers consuming more quality coffee, the competition is high.

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Pricing is generally higher for parts of this year's harvest, and less supply means prices are firmer than usual in some cases. That's exactly why the relationship side of sourcing carries more weight this season: it's the difference between reacting to the market and working with a producer who already knows what you need.

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A snapshot of the season

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Here's where a few producers stand this season:

• Gold Coffee started harvesting at the end of May, and has offers live with samples in stock. Pablo García Jimenez, our Head of Quality, commented about one of their lots: "An extra premium classic profile worth for batch brew and a good quality espresso for both milk drinks or to be enjoyed by itself."
• LIMCOF had a difficult harvest, but already has an offer online with samples available.
• Valle Alto, one of Algrano's most trusted logistical partners in Peru, has an offer live and is working directly with the sourcing team to confirm additional volumes.
• Origin Coffee Lab has offers live now, with more main lots expected through August and microlots following in September.
• GOCTA Coffee is seeing lower yields but a larger share of microlots this year, and is handling quality cupping in-house.

More producers are coming online through the rest of the summer, and the marketplace will keep updating as they do.

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What this means for sourcing plans

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The practical guidance for this season is simple: decide and commit as early as possible.

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With volumes down and timing pushed later, the roasters who lock in their plans early are the ones most likely to secure the lots and volumes they need.