At this point in the year, we’re usually in the midst of a very traditional forward booking campaign as we furiously process and ship Peruvian coffee to the states, with first arrivals making landfall and more afloat on its way to the states. However, this isn’t a typical year—between a high and volatile C market, early-season climatic challenges, a global liquidity crunch, and the added costs of tariff policy, we’ve had to proceed cautiously.
We’ve been working thoughtfully and carefully to make sure that the offers we’re bringing to roaster partners are attuned to your needs and to the current moment in which they’re possible. We’ve been an extremely active part of QC as always, but due to weather and the high market, our hypervigilance at the cupping table and the mill matters more than ever.
Quality is Prime (Partly Due to Intense QC)
For quality, it’s both the best of times and the worst of times. This year more than ever, we’re glad we have extremely strong, hands-on systems for avoiding quality issues.
During our visits with producer groups, they’ve made it clear that climate change is making it impossible for them to plan. Some years bring intense drought, stunting flowering &/or cherry maturation. 2025 has brought intense rains, persisting well into the harvest season. September should be a month of straight sun, but this year September has been laden with relentless rain & cloud cover, making good drying tremendously difficult.
With that said, the sweetest, most complex coffee we’ve seen in several years continues to flow into our lab in Lima. The QC team is working at a frenetic pace to ensure that our quality standards are met with every shipment. The combination of high C market volatility and unprecedented rains has led to regular encounters with phenol and mold in coffee coming in from the interior. We’re making sure these won’t become our, or your, problem.
Coffees Coming in From All Over
Coffees we’re bringing in are coming from groups all over the country, including but not limited to:
- Rio Blanco in the San Ignacio province of Cajamarca’s Namballe district, a consistent year-over-year partner for us. Coffees from here are very sweet with distinct fruit and brightness. Notes of brown sugar, punchy citrus, and lemongrass.
- Puno in the most remote reaches of Southern Peru, home to some of the rarest and most coveted coffees in the world. Strong florals like jasmine, coffee blossom and honeysuckle, all manner of ripe berry and berry jam, and fresh and dried yellow and white peach.
- Flor de Cafe in a new part of Amazonas, a group we’ve been working with for a few years but whose quality and quantity jumped dramatically this year. Bright, sweet, and complex, with abundant and distinct fruit notes and florality. Notes of toffee, milk chocolate, and citrus like mandarin and Valencia orange, particular the aromatic zest.
- Rutas del Inca a group with whom we’ve reunited under new leadership, featuring elevations starting at 1800 masl with a preposterous amount of coffee as high as 2200 masl and quality reflecting that height. Intense saturated sweetness like sugar cane, malic acidity deeply balanced by that sweetness like red apple/red pear, and marzipan.
This list is just a preview—we have so much more on the way, although volumes are extremely limited. 
Interested in sourcing coffee with us? Reach out at info@redfoxcoffeemerchants.com. To learn more about our work, check out our journal and follow us on Instagram @redfoxcoffeemerchants.