01
Camu Camu
Myrciaria dubia
Loreto, Peruvian Amazon (Iquitos, Ucayali and Napo river basins)80 to 200 m (Amazon floodplain)
Camu camu is a bushy shrub that grows semi-submerged along the black-water rivers and flooded plains of the Peruvian Amazon. Riberreno communities harvest the cherry-sized fruit by canoe during the high-water season, a practice rooted in generations of Amazonian use. Peru is the largest global exporter, and the fruit is prized as one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C on earth. Wild and cultivated stands in Loreto and Ucayali supply the bulk of the international market.
- Nutrition
- Fresh pulp contains roughly 2,400 to 3,000 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, dozens of times more than an orange. Freeze-dried camu camu powder concentrates ascorbic acid to about 20 g per 100 g. It also delivers anthocyanins and ellagic acid as antioxidants.
- Forms
- Freeze-dried (liofilizado) powder, spray-dried powder, dry standardized extract, capsules, frozen pulp, juice concentrate.
- Season
- Main harvest November to March (high-water season).
02
Maca
Lepidium meyenii
Junin and Pasco highlands, Meseta del Bombon around Lake Junin3,800 to 4,500 m (puna)
Maca is a hardy root of the Brassica family cultivated on the windswept Bombon plateau, one of the highest agricultural zones on earth. It has been grown and traded in the central Andes for well over a millennium and was valued by Andean societies before and during the Inca period as a food and tonic. Peru supplies more than 95 percent of the world's maca, concentrated in Junin and Pasco. Cultivation rotates with long fallow periods to restore the thin puna soils.
- Nutrition
- Dried maca root is about 60 to 75 percent carbohydrate and 10 to 14 percent protein, and supplies iron, potassium, calcium and unique compounds called macamides and macaenes. Gelatinized maca removes raw starch to improve digestibility and solubility.
- Forms
- Raw powder, gelatinized (pre-cooked) powder, capsules, dry extract, color-selected powders (yellow, red, black), chips and dried roots.
- Season
- Planted October to November, harvested May to July.
03
Lucuma
Pouteria lucuma
Coastal and lower-sierra valleys of Lima, plus Ica, Ayacucho and CajamarcaSea level to 3,000 m; optimal near 500 to 2,400 m
Lucuma is an Andean tree fruit with dry, sweet orange flesh often called the gold of the Incas. It appears in pre-Inca ceramics and coastal iconography dating back roughly 2,000 years, and remains one of Peru's most beloved flavors for ice cream and desserts. The tree grows in the temperate valleys east and south of Lima and across the lower sierra. Fruit is picked ripe, dehydrated and milled into a fine powder for export.
- Nutrition
- Lucuma is rich in complex carbohydrates and fiber and provides beta-carotene, niacin, iron and potassium, with a low glycemic profile that suits it as a natural sweetener.
- Forms
- Dehydrated powder (freeze-dried and spray-dried grades), frozen pulp, flakes.
- Season
- Fruits nearly year-round with peak harvest January to April.
04
Sacha Inchi
Plukenetia volubilis
San Martin high jungle (Tarapoto, Moyobamba, Lamas)200 to 1,500 m (high jungle)
Sacha inchi, the Inca peanut, is a climbing vine of the Amazon that produces star-shaped capsules of oil-rich seeds. Pre-Inca peoples cultivated it thousands of years ago, and it is depicted in Chavin and Mochica art. San Martin leads national production, where smallholders press the seed into a delicate green oil and roast it as a protein snack. Demand rose sharply as brands sought plant-based omega-3 sources.
- Nutrition
- The seeds carry about 45 to 55 percent oil and 22 to 30 percent protein. Nearly 85 percent of the fat is polyunsaturated, dominated by alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), making the oil one of the richest plant sources of omega-3.
- Forms
- Cold-pressed oil, roasted seeds (snack), protein powder from press-cake, capsules.
- Season
- Continuous fruiting, with harvest peaks spread across the year.
05
Quinoa
Chenopodium quinoa
Puno altiplano on the shores of Lake Titicaca3,600 to 3,900 m (altiplano)
Quinoa is a pseudocereal domesticated in the Andes around Lake Titicaca thousands of years ago, and it was a staple of pre-Inca and Inca diets called the mother grain. Peru is the world's leading producer and exporter, and Puno alone accounts for roughly 41 percent of national output. Frost-tolerant landraces thrive on the cold, thin-aired altiplano. The seed is desaponified before milling for the food trade.
- Nutrition
- Quinoa provides a complete protein of about 14 to 18 percent with all essential amino acids including lysine, plus fiber, magnesium, iron and B vitamins. It is naturally gluten free.
- Forms
- Whole grain (white, red, black), flakes (hojuelas), flour, pops/expanded, washed and ready to eat.
- Season
- Sown September to December, harvested April to June.
06
Kiwicha (Amaranth)
Amaranthus caudatus
Andean valleys of Ayacucho, Cusco, Apurimac and Arequipa1,500 to 3,500 m
Kiwicha is the Andean amaranth, a tiny grain that was a pillar of the Inca imperial diet alongside quinoa and maize. It was cultivated for its nutrition and its ceremonial role, and it survives today in the valleys of Ayacucho, Cusco and Apurimac. The plant is fast-growing and drought-resilient. Grain is popped, milled or sold whole for the health-food trade.
- Nutrition
- Kiwicha carries about 15 to 18 percent high-quality protein rich in lysine, an amino acid scarce in common cereals, along with iron, calcium, magnesium and healthy unsaturated fats. It is gluten free.
- Forms
- Whole grain, popped/expanded, flour, flakes.
- Season
- Sown October to November, harvested May to July.
07
Canihua
Chenopodium pallidicaule
Puno high plateau above Lake Titicaca3,500 to 4,200 m
Canihua is a lesser-known Andean pseudocereal, a close relative of quinoa that endures frost, drought and saline soils above 3,800 m where few crops survive. Andean communities of Puno have grown it for centuries as a resilient staple, and it needs no desaponification because the seed is naturally low in saponins. Grain is toasted and milled into a flour traditionally called canihuaco.
- Nutrition
- Canihua offers about 15 to 19 percent protein with a balanced essential amino acid profile, and is high in iron, zinc, calcium and antioxidants. It is gluten free.
- Forms
- Whole grain, toasted flour (canihuaco), pops/expanded, flakes.
- Season
- Sown September to October, harvested April to May.
08
Yacon
Smallanthus sonchifolius
High-Andean valleys of Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Junin and Cusco1,000 to 3,000 m
Yacon is an Andean tuber with crisp, sweet, juicy flesh whose sugars the body cannot fully digest. It has been cultivated in Andean valleys since pre-Inca times and appears in Nasca and Mochica iconography. Grown across Cajamarca, Ayacucho, Junin and Cusco, the root is pressed and reduced into a dark syrup or dried into a low-glycemic sweetener, with strong demand from Japan, South Korea and the United States.
- Nutrition
- Yacon's sweetness comes from fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and inulin, prebiotic fibers that feed beneficial gut bacteria and add few calories without raising blood glucose.
- Forms
- Syrup (jarabe), root powder, dried slices, tea from the leaves.
- Season
- Harvested May to August after the plant dies back.
09
Purple Corn (Maiz Morado)
Zea mays
Andean valleys and coastal sierra of Lima, Ancash, Cajamarca and IcaSea level to 3,000 m
Maiz morado is a deeply pigmented Andean corn cultivated in Peru since pre-Inca times, the base of the traditional drink chicha morada and the dessert mazamorra morada. Its intense color comes from anthocyanins concentrated in the kernel and cob. Grown in Lima's valleys, Ancash, Cajamarca and Ica, it draws growing interest from the food industry as a natural colorant and functional ingredient.
- Nutrition
- Purple corn is exceptionally rich in anthocyanins, with reported levels around 16 mg per gram in fresh kernels, above many berries. These pigments act as antioxidants studied for anti-inflammatory and cardiovascular effects.
- Forms
- Whole cobs and kernels, powder, anthocyanin extract/natural colorant, concentrate for beverages.
- Season
- Harvest concentrated May to September depending on zone.
10
Aguaymanto (Goldenberry)
Physalis peruviana
Northern Andean valleys of Cajamarca, Ancash and Cusco1,500 to 3,000 m
Aguaymanto, the goldenberry or Inca berry, is a small orange fruit wrapped in a papery husk, native to the Andes and cultivated since Inca times. Cajamarca leads production, where the fruit is dried or processed for export to Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Peru's phytosanitary authority SENASA has been advancing access for fresh fruit to the United States market.
- Nutrition
- Goldenberry is rich in vitamin C, provitamin A carotenoids, fiber and polyphenols, and contains withanolides studied for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity.
- Forms
- Dried/dehydrated fruit, frozen fruit, pulp, jam, fresh (emerging).
- Season
- Fruits much of the year, with steady supply from Andean plots.
11
Cacao (Nibs)
Theobroma cacao
San Martin, Ucayali, Junin, Cusco and Amazonas300 to 1,200 m
Peru is a genetic homeland of cacao, holding a large share of the world's cocoa biodiversity including native Criollo and Chuncho varieties. The ICCO classifies about three quarters of Peruvian beans as fine-aroma cacao. San Martin leads national production, much of it grown by smallholders as an alternative to coca, and ceremonial Criollo from Ashaninka communities in Junin commands premium value. Beans are fermented, dried and cracked into nibs.
- Nutrition
- Cacao nibs are rich in flavanol antioxidants, magnesium, iron and fiber, and provide theobromine, a mild stimulant. Fine-flavor Peruvian cacao is prized for aromatic complexity.
- Forms
- Beans, nibs (granilla), paste/liquor, butter, natural powder (10-12% and 20-22% fat), couverture.
- Season
- Two main harvests, roughly April to July and October to December.
12
Chia
Salvia hispanica
Coastal and Andean valleys of Arequipa, La Libertad and TacnaSea level to 2,500 m
Chia is a Mesoamerican seed that Peru has scaled successfully as an export crop in the valleys of Arequipa, La Libertad and Tacna, where warm days and clean irrigation suit the plant. Peru is now a leading global supplier of the tiny black and white seed. The seed is cleaned, sorted and sold whole or milled, riding the same omega-3 and fiber demand that lifts sacha inchi.
- Nutrition
- Chia seeds carry about 30 percent oil, mostly alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3), plus roughly 16 to 20 percent protein and very high soluble fiber, along with calcium and magnesium.
- Forms
- Whole seed (black, white), milled/flour, oil.
- Season
- Harvested around April to July depending on planting.
