PERU SIMON BROWN & MERLITH CRUZ

Recommended Retail Price: £13/125g

Tasting Notes: Reflecting its Ethiopian heritage and innovative processing, this coffee offers lush blueberry, elegant jasmine and cardamom aromatics. Notes of slivered almond and a generous sweetness result in a luxurious cup.

Region:  Jaen, Cajamarca
Altitude:  1950 - 2000 masl
Variety:  Heirloom
Processing:  Natural, bioreactor with mosto

UK Arrival: January 2026

Of all the coffees we’ve tasted, this one stands out as truly exceptional. The remarkable flavours in the cup are a result of an uncommon confluence between the coffee variety, its origin and how the cherries were processed after picking. It’s a naturally processed Ethiopian heirloom variety that was fermented in a bioreactor tank using mosto as a starter culture.

It was grown by Simon Brown and Merlith Cruz on their farm, Las Etíopes, which is planted with Ethiopian varieties like Gesha, Wush Wush and this Heirloom. In addition to growing coffee, the duo are also the founders of Chacra importers. In that capacity they work with smallholders like themselves, who are committed to producing top quality lots and using carefully crafted, innovative processing methods. 

Why This Coffee Tastes So Delicious

“Heirloom”—also known as “landrace”—varieties are actually a group of genetically related coffee trees that still grow wild in Ethiopia today. Of course, all coffee originally came from Ethiopia, but most coffee we consume comes from plants that have been bred to increase yield and disease resistance. Because of its genetics, despite being grown in Peru, this coffee’s flavour profile is more akin to an Ethiopian coffee. We’re finding more and more genetically-Ethiopian coffee being grown in Central and South America, especially in Peru and Colombia. It’s a compelling trend from a flavour standpoint because it begs the question, how much of a coffee’s flavour comes from where it was grown—its terroir—and how much comes from its genetics?

The third big factor in the phenomenal flavour profile of this coffee is how the cherries were processed after picking. After rinsing with cool spring water to reduce the initial microbial load, the whole cherries with skin intact were placed into a bioreactor, which is a sealed metal tank that gives the farmer control over variables like pressure, pH level, temperature and agitation. Then they added mosto, which is the liquid produced when ripe coffee cherries ferment, from another batch of coffee. The fermenting juice acts like a sugar-rich starter culture that kickstarts fermentation in the tank. This process means that the cherries were inoculated with exactly the types of microorganisms that create the desired fermentation. The bioreactor allows careful monitoring and control of fermentation. 

After that the cherries were carefully dried on raised beds in thin layers. The drying process can go wrong with mould or bad bacteria colonizing, so turning frequently, shading during the midday heat and maintaining steady airflow are crucial. It’s a painstaking process that can take up to 25 days, but carefully drying the whole cherries extends the fermentation even more and heightens the intensity of the coffee’s natural flavours. 

A Different Way of Farming

Simon and Merlith are young farmers who bought Las Etíopes in 2019. Located in the village of El Porvenir in Jaén, Cajamarca, the farm covers an area of seven hectares, at an altitude between 1,950 and 2,000 m.a.s.l. Three hectares are planted with coffee and the rest of the farm is forested. They use alternative, ecofriendly practices like wider spacing between plants, shade trees (which aren’t normally used at their altitude), organic and biodynamic practices and intercropping with native beans and other nitrogen fixers. 

Even in Peru, where smallholder farms are often organic by default, they report that more and more chemicals are being used and coffee farms are becoming mono-cropped. These practices will increase crop volume and yield, and thus increase farmer profit, but at the expense of soil health and ecological sustainability. Simon and Merlith’s approach goes in the opposite direction, relying instead on unique varieties, careful processing and their access to the specialty market to add value to their crop. 

Respecting Nature Whilst Pushing Boundaries

Simon and Merlith have also established an importing company, which they named Chacra. It’s a Peruvian word meaning small farm, but they say that the name actually encompasses a lot more. “A chacra provides food for the community to which it belongs,” they write on an Instagram post. “When humans tend to the land they take great care to respect the forces of nature, planting, pruning and picking in tune with lunar cycles, channeling the energy of the sun and water to grow diverse and bountiful crops.”

Chacra imports the coffee grown on Las Etíopes, as well as coffee grown by partner producers. We bought two lots from them last year: a mosto fermented Tabi variety grown by Anderson Guerrero and a washed Gesha grown by William Manchay. This year they’ve spent time exploring the length and breadth of Peru’s northern regions looking for wonderful coffees. They report that they’ve met many new producer partners, many of whom are in areas that push the boundaries for coffee production.

When we first bought coffee from Charcra, our Head of Coffee had a long conversation with Simon about what they’re doing differently. Talking to him, it’s clear his experience as a coffee grower informs how he does things as an exporter/importer and vice versa. He has personal relationships with the producers who grow the coffee he sells, so he understands their needs. He believes in ecologically sustainable farming methods and is willing to take risks to try things that challenge the status quo. And he utilizes technical innovation intelligently to produce top-notch coffee.