Marcos Herrera, Mamaruntu Bourbon

Our second Peru release from Marcos Herrera via importer Khipu Coffee and this time an anaerobic natural Red Bourbon. Marcos is a producer from the village of Rodriguez Tafur, located at 1700 meters above sea level in the district of Lonya Grande, in the Amazonas region. He is regarded as of the best specialty coffee growers in Peru and is well known in his district of Lonya Grande, coming 2nd in November 2023 at regional competition. Marcos has been a producer since childhood because his parents are farmers. Since 2014, he has been growing Geisha, Bourbon and SL28 varieties.

The name of the farm Mamaruntu is after the enchanting Chachapoyas princess who captured the heart of Inca Tupac Yupanqui. Marcos inherited his father's farm, which was called "Oso Perdido" (Lost Bear) named after his father who was the only person who took care of the farm and walked alone in the countryside. The people of the town told him that he was like a lost bear.

Marcos has his tried and tested method for his natural processed coffees and it's starting to become a signature flavour profile. First of all he collects mature cherries only, washes them in water and ferments in cherry for 72 hours, in this case anaerobically, sealed in timbos (plastic tubs). After that, he places the full cherries into solar dryers for 30 days to ensure that the coffee has a moisture content of 10.5-11%.

Alongside his own farm, Marcos is also part of Procecam, a small cooperative with many high quality specialty producers from in and around Lonya Grande. He is responsible for sourcing, quality control and working on specific flavour profile blends.