Peru Norte Lima - February 2026
Peru Norta Lima Coffee
In the northern highlands of Peru, coffee doesn’t come from sprawling estates. It comes from hillsides. From small farms. From families who have grown coffee for generations, often independently, sometimes collectively, and increasingly, with a shared focus on quality, transparency, and long-term sustainability.
Our current Roaster’s Choice selection, Peru Norte Lima, comes from the Cajamarca region, a place where fertile Andean soils, high elevations, and committed producers are quietly reshaping how the world sees Peruvian coffee.
Grower: Lima Coffee
Region: Cajamarca, Peru
Cultivar: Catimor, Caturra, Bourbon, Typica
Altitude: 1650 - 1800 masl
Process: Washed
Harvest: June - September
Roast Level: Medium
Roast Body: Mild
Cupping Notes: Malt Candy, Green Grape, Cola
Cajamarca: Where Geography Does The Heavy Lifting
Located in northern Peru, Cajamarca is a semi-dry, semi-cold tropical highland tucked into the Andes. The elevation here, 1,650 to 1,800 meters above sea level, creates ideal growing conditions for specialty coffee: cooler temperatures, slower cherry maturation, and dense, complex beans.
Coffee farms in Cajamarca are small by design. Large estates are rare. Instead, producers work modest plots of land, often relying on home-built pulpers and parabolic dryers, sometimes drying parchment on patios or even alongside rural roads. This scale can make consistency and market access difficult, but it also allows for remarkable diversity. Beyond the region’s traditional caramel and cacao profiles, Cajamarca coffees increasingly show fruit-forward notes like berries, apple, grape, and prune, thanks to the area’s varied microclimates.
Coffee In Peru
Coffee arrived in Peru in the mid-1700s, but it wasn’t grown for export until demand surged in Europe nearly a century later. British influence in the early 1900s led to the creation of large, foreign-owned coffee plantations, many of which were later redistributed throughout the 20th century.
The result? A coffee economy dominated by smallholders, independent farmers with limited infrastructure but deep agricultural knowledge. Today, Peru is one of the world’s top producers of Arabica coffee, often ranking fifth globally. Nearly 30% of Peruvian smallholders belong to democratic cooperatives, and the country boasts one of the highest percentages of certified-organic exported coffee in the world.
What’s changing now is the focus. For decades, Peru was known for volume and certifications. Today, producers are increasingly pushing into microlot territory, prioritizing cup quality, traceability, and differentiation.
Lima Coffees & Rony Lavan: Raising the Bar
At the center of that shift in Cajamarca is Lima Coffees, a cooperative of smallholder farmers led by quality-driven cupper Rony Lavan.
Rony has spent his career identifying standout coffees from small producers, coffees that might otherwise be blended away or overlooked. As president of Lima Coffees, his focus is on traceability, processing excellence, and helping farmers unlock the true potential of their land.
That focus paid off early. In his first year with Lima Coffees, Rony not only entered, but subsequently won, a national competition. With Peru’s introduction to the Cup of Excellence in 2017, producers like Rony and the farmers of Cajamarca are finally stepping onto the global specialty stage.
Coffee With Purpose: The Women Coffee Project
One of the most meaningful initiatives supported by Lima Coffees is the Women Coffee Project, which brings together 110 coffee-growing families led by women across Cajamarca.
This program pays a direct price premium on each contributing lot, with 100% of those premiums going back to the women farmers.
70% supports group organization and structure
30% funds empowerment initiatives, including leadership training, economic development, savings and investment programs, and comprehensive well-being and gender equality efforts
The project is guided by elected representatives, including Isabel Paz Correa of Chirinos and Olga Calle Chumacero of Ihuamaca, ensuring that decisions reflect the needs and goals of the women involved.
At its core, the program exists to support long-term independence, encouraging women and future generations to build sustainable livelihoods through agriculture, leadership, and community investment.
Why This Coffee Matters
Peru Norte Lima isn’t just a great cup—it’s a snapshot of where Peruvian coffee is headed. It represents a shift from volume to value, from anonymity to traceability, and from survival farming to intentional, quality-driven production.
This is coffee shaped by land, elevated by people, and strengthened by community. And it’s exactly the kind of story we love to share through Roaster’s Choice.
How Do I Get This Coffee?
Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Roaster’s Choice program is your passport to standout coffees from around the world, and this month’s journey takes us to the high Andean mountains of Cajamarca, Peru—a region gaining recognition for its growing specialty potential.
Peru Norte Lima offers a balanced, expressive cup with notes of malt candy, green grape, and cola, grown by smallholder farmers at elevations of 1,650–1,800 meters. Sourced through Lima Coffees, a cooperative led by quality pioneer Rony Lavan, this coffee highlights Peru’s shift toward traceable, quality-driven microlots.
Beyond the cup, this coffee supports Lima Coffees’ Women Coffee Project, which directs price premiums back to women-led farming families, funding leadership, economic development, and long-term sustainability within the community.
This Roaster’s Choice selection showcases not just a beautiful coffee, but a region, and a future, on the rise.
Order a Roaster's Choice subscription by February 9th, 2026, to experience this coffee for yourself!
Fresh Roasted Coffee LLC offers Roaster's Choice coffees in bagged coffee as well as classic pods. Subscribers can choose from 3-, 6- or 12- month subscription plans.
Ready to savor the unparalleled flavors of this month’s Roaster’s Choice? Limited quantities available, so don’t miss out!
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