Peru

In 2024 we made the long trip to Jaén, a mountainous region in rural northern Peru. It’s here that Velo de Novia begins its journey – grown by 20 smallholder producers farming high up in the hills. We visited three of those farms – Elias, Víctor and Máximo. Each farm looked different, each farmer had their own way of working but one thing was clear: real care for the land and a quiet commitment to doing things well. Every choice was rooted in the realities of the local climate – how to work with it, protect it and adapt to the challenges it throws up like rising temperatures and long periods of drought. We travelled with Caravela Coffee, a sourcing partner who’s deeply embedded in the community here. Their PECA programme puts agronomists on the ground to work alongside producers – not to hand down rules but to share what’s working on other farms in the area. What we saw wasn’t top-down. It was collaborative, practical and grounded in respect.