A Rainy Peru Update

Our friends at Pachamama Farms report that volumes are dropping week by week as seasonal rains move through the Motupe, Jayanca, and Olmos micro-regions. Most active harvest at this point is concentrated in the late Piura area, with a handful of small growers still working in the Casma region. Organic fruit is extremely limited and tightening further each week.

The weather picture helps explain why. February is historically Motupe’s coldest and least sunny month, and this year rainfall has persisted throughout most of the month — well above what the region typically sees. That sustained humidity is doing what it always does to late-season fruit — driving phytosanitary pressure, increasing cosmetic staining, and reducing the percentage of fruit that meets export standards. Anthracnose pressure is elevated across the region and pack-outs are lower as a result. Some packhouses are reportedly closing earlier than anticipated simply due to reduced throughput.

The US market is feeling the tightening, with wholesale pricing firming in response to constrained supply. A number of US customers have flagged quality concerns — likely rain-related — so the timing feels right on both sides as Mexican volume begins to build in earnest. The market will increasingly depend on Mexican shipments to stabilize availability as Peru’s weather-affected window closes. For organic specifically, supply was already extremely limited before the rains — what remains is scarce and getting scarcer each