In Conversation With Mark from Khipu Coffee

We begin our exploration of what Peru has to offer in the way of coffees, producers and styles of farming by introducing two outstanding coffees imported by Khipu Coffee. We caught up with their co-founder, Mark, at London Coffee Festival on all things Peruvian Coffee.

Who is in the Khipu Coffee team and how did it all begin?

Khipu started as an idea in 2020 during the pandemic, between myself (Mark), my cousin Gonzalo, and a friend of his, Cesar. With my mother’s family in Peru, I’d visit every few years, and Gonzalo and I would often talk about starting a business involving Peruvian superfoods in the UK. As we had a lot of downtime during that period, we picked up the conversation again, and Gonzalo brought Cesar on board. The initial idea was to start with superfoods such as chia, maca, quinoa, etc. However, after doing some research, we found the market to be fairly saturated, requiring large upfront costs and offering small margins on high volumes. From my experience visiting Peru and seeing the growth of the coffee shop and roasting scene in Lima, I thought there might be potential in coffee. I enjoyed coffee more than the average person, but looking back, I was unaware of just how vast and nuanced the world of coffee really is. With this mix of naivety and excitement, I proposed that we focus on coffee to start—and that’s been our journey up to today. My role is mainly in sourcing, marketing, and sales, while Gonzalo is responsible for logistics in Peru, and Cesar handles finance.

How widespread is coffee production in Peru?

Coffee is grown in 13 regions across Peru, though 4 or 5 produce the majority of the country’s coffee. Certain regions, like San Martin in the north, are well known for certified organic coffee, while Pasco and Junín in central Peru are known for conventional espresso-based coffee and Rainforest Alliance certifications, respectively. Cusco and Cajamarca are recognised for their high quality and relatively high volume. From memory, around 2.5 million people work across the coffee supply chain in Peru, making it a significant industry for the country.

How did you first get introduced to Manuel and Gregorio (our Explore coffee producers)?

I connected with both Manuel and Gregorio through Instagram. Manuel followed us, which is how we found out about him, while we had already been following Gregorio and his farm’s account.

With Manuel, I was intrigued that he followed us, especially since he was already working with an exporter who sent his coffee to the U.S. I didn’t want to interfere with other exporters and farms, but he encouraged us to try his coffee and insisted we could offer him a better price. That’s how we began working together. I believe Manuel knew about us through his cousin, Roiber Becerra, and also because we visited Lonya Grande, where Manuel lives, in 2023.

With Gregorio, I was already aware of Pozuzo—the province in the Pasco region where his farm is located—and knew of very few farms there. I was intrigued by his processing methods, which seemed rare for a place not known for experimental coffees. That caught my attention, and things developed from there. I visited the farm in 2024.

What can you tell us about both of these coffees?

Both are quite unique for Peru. First of all, Pacamara is not commonly grown in the country, so having access to this variety is special. Lonya Grande is one of our favourite coffee regions in Peru. We're always on the lookout for rare varietals, experimental processes, and coffees from rural, under-the-radar locations—and both coffees fit this profile to varying degrees.

Manuel’s coffee is processed using a washed, double-fermented anaerobic method (fermented in cherry without oxygen, then pulped and fermented again). While this process has become popular among our partners and no longer feels particularly novel, the resulting cup profile is exceptional. The Pacamara yields a fruity character when warm that evolves into floral notes as it cools—producing a complex, clean, and balanced cup.

Gregorio’s coffee is just as innovative. It’s a black honey, double-fermented anaerobic process (fermented in cherry without oxygen, then pulped with most of the mucilage left on, and fermented again). The Red Catuai varietal complements this method beautifully, producing a versatile coffee that is clean and easy to drink on filter, yet luxurious and complex on espresso.

What makes Peruvian coffee different from other origins?

The microclimates play a big part. Peru has the most diverse (or one of the most diverse) microclimates in the world, so the biodiversity that comes with that is immense. The soil and the different composition they have (volcanic soils, red soils, clay soil), mixed with the differing altitudes anywhere from 900-2400m, the habitats and species pollinating the coffee flower trees, the overall biodiversity of an area. There is so much diversity and variation across the number of different coffee regions, complemented with high quality varietals and precision based fermentation, the results can be very impressive.

What are some of the difficulties of coffee farming in Peru?

Education is one. Prices of what people are paid and the cost of production is another. Access to international markets is a difficulty many have and knowing the value of their coffee and how to sell it. Those are a few without even considering the reliance on weather. It can be risky for many farms in Peru when the weather is erratic and unpredictable. This is why diversifying their incomes is paramount to their farming livelihood in our opinion because the alternative is to migrate to the closest city for work. This is also a difficulty for some, weighing up urban life vs staying on the farm.

What are the two growing regions like?

The Amazonas region where Manuel’s farm is located is a vast region in the north of Peru. Coffee grows mainly in the south and on high terrain around 1700-2300m depending on whereabouts. The capital of the region, Chachapoyas, is a beautiful place, known as the city of the cloud warriors. This city has a very historic culture and has many famous archeological sites such as Kuelap. The harvest season is a little later than most in Peru because of the high altitudes and usually finishes around October. It’s filled with valleys shaped around the Marañón River, which runs through the region until it eventually joins with Ucayali River, which is considered to be the start of the Amazon River.

Pasco, where Gregorio’s farm is located, is also another fairly sized region in central Peru. Finca Voller is located in Pozuzo, another fascinating place, this time with Austrian and German influences and culture present to this day. Pozuzo is a high jungle area, hot and humid most of the time and roughly 1600-1800m. The cultures in this region are mixed, where Indigenous communities, such as the Yanesha people, have made it their home for the longest time. 

Do they use any growing techniques such as agroforestry or intercropping, etc?

Yes, both use some form of agroforestry systems on their farm. I have yet to visit Manuel but from what I have seen and spoken to him about, he employs a mixed cropping system and designs native tree species to be interspersed for shade. Gregorio's farm has different plots with different systems across differing altitudes. For the higher volume coffees (Sarchimor, Obata) he works with there are less shade trees, and yield is the primary goal, however, still within an agroforestry system. While the more premium, lower volume coffees (Red Catuai, Maragogype, Geisha) are surrounded by more species and have a more intense structure, more shade, more cover crops, fruit and tall trees surrounding the coffee trees. The soil was more moist in these plots and a lot more mulch covered it.

Have Peruvian producers been affected by climate change?

Yes. The last few years across many coffee growing regions has led to unpredictable and erratic weather patterns. These conditions cause a loss in yield due to the moisture and heat changes being ideal habitats for fungal infections, such as leaf rust and spread of insects that damage cherries, such as borer beetles. It not only reduces yield but it incurs investment in fertiliser (organic and non organic) to repair the soil and feed the trees the nutrients it needs to recover. Farm management is another hurdle, as extensive pruning can be required which then takes more work to be able to make good of the harvest. Rains have also delayed drying, and in some cases, spoiled the coffee by moisture content being too high. This is where education comes in and knowing how to deal with these factors.

Read more about Mark and Khipu here. Shop the Explore Peru Bundle here.