Filter - Finca Pacpa, Peru - Strawberry, Nectarine, Jasmine

Meet Manuel Marlo Baca

Coffee runs in the family for Manuel. Four generations, to be precise.

Up in Roblepampa, in Peru’s Amazonas region, he farms land passed down from his great-grandparents. Plenty of his extended family grow coffee too, including his cousin Roiber Becerra. We imagine family catch-ups involve quite a lot of coffee chat.

Since 2017, Manuel has been putting his own stamp on the family farm, learning, experimenting and finding ways to make each harvest better than the last.

Finca Pacpa

At 1,850 metres above sea level, Finca Pacpa is home to Bourbon, Geisha and the variety in your bag: Pacamara.

This corner of Amazonas has a knack for producing coffees with lovely tropical fruit character. A very happy place to go coffee hunting.

Manuel grows his coffee among pine, cedar and guabo trees, which provide shade and help the soil hold on to moisture. A little shelter from the sun goes a long way.

Two fermentations. Plenty of patience.

Manuel takes his processing seriously. With a Q Processing Level 1 qualification under his belt, he combines his training with hands-on experience, testing new fermentations and keeping careful notes along the way.

For this lot, the freshly picked cherries rest in GrainPro bags in the shade for 18 hours. They’re then pulped and spend another 18 hours fermenting in tanks, with Manuel monitoring sugar levels and acidity.

Next comes a slow dry under solar dryers: 25–30 days, until the beans reach just the right moisture level.

There’s a lot happening before we get anywhere near the roaster.

From Roblepampa to your morning brew

Our importer, Khipu Coffee, first connected with Manuel on Instagram. A few familiar producers and mutual connections later, it turned out he was friends and family with several growers they already worked with.

Manuel was keen to work with Khipu for the higher premiums and the chance to see his coffee enjoyed in the UK and Europe. Khipu bought his entire Pacamara harvest, hoping to find it a regular home.

And we’re very pleased some of it has found its way to Carnival.