Tres Cedros - Saulo & Ronald Ibias Casa - Washed SL-09 - Nanolot

Who are Saulo and Ronald?

Saulo and Ronald are two young producers from Inkawasi who have rapidly become known for their dedication to rare genetics and meticulous processing. They manage the Tres Cedros farm together, combining deep agronomic curiosity with hands-on experimentation in their wet mill. Their shared goal is to elevate Inkawasi’s reputation by championing unique, high-potential varieties such as SL-09, known locally as Geisha Inca. 

About Saulo, Ronald and their farm, Tres Cedros 

Tres Cedros sits between 2070–2260 masl in the mountainous landscape of Inkawasi, a district famous for its dramatic ecology and thriving biodiversity. The farm’s name comes from the abundance of native cedar trees, and the surrounding forest is home to Andean cock-of-the-rock, toucans, monkeys, and other high-Andean wildlife.

The farm currently has 0.5 hectares in production and 2.5 hectares in growth, representing the early stages of a long-term vision to focus on rare, high-genetic-value coffees. With 8,000 seedlings planted, their SL-09 is just beginning to show its potential—yielding 260 kg from the first half-hectare in production.

Inkawasi’s microclimate—cool temperatures (~23°C), rich soils, high elevation, and long maturation periods—plays a crucial role in expressing the aromatic and textural qualities that make SL-09 from this region so distinctive. 

About SL-09 coffee varietal (Geisha Inca)

SL-09, locally referred to as Geisha Inca, belongs to the Ethiopian Legacy genetic group—a family of cultivars selected by Scott Agricultural Laboratories in Kenya during the 1930s. Genetic fingerprinting conducted in France (RD2 Vision, 2024) confirmed that the cherries from Tres Cedros match this group, showing high similarity to SL-09, and not to Ethiopian or Panamanian Gesha, despite sharing distant ancestral lineage.

This genetic group includes varieties like SL-34, SL-17, K7, and Mibirizi, all known for floral aromatics, bright acidity, and elegant structure. In Inkawasi, SL-09 expresses these traits vividly thanks to the altitude and slow cherry development.

Because of its rarity—almost absent from genetic databases, the SL-09 has enormous potential to become a signature Peruvian variety, much like Sidra in Ecuador or Geisha in Panama.

How was the coffee processed?

Saulo and Ronald use a clean, structured, and temperature-aware processing approach designed to highlight the floral and fruity character of SL-09. The season begins with flowering in November and December, followed by a long harvest window from September to December, allowing cherries to mature slowly at high altitude.

Once picked, the coffee undergoes an 8-hour cherry fermentation before pulping, followed by a 48-hour mucilage fermentation to deepen sweetness and complexity. The parchment is then dried for 12 days on raised African beds at an ambient temperature of around 23°C, carefully brought to 11% moisture to preserve structural integrity.

After drying, the coffee is rested for 25 days in parchment, allowing its aromatics and acids to stabilise and integrate. This progression—moving from a short cherry fermentation to extended mucilage contact and then slow, controlled drying—elevates the SL-09’s terpene expression, amplifying its floral and aromatic potential. The inherent density of the bean supports this complexity, resulting in a cup profile that is both clean and expressive, and unmistakably characteristic of this lot.

How does Khipu Coffee know Saulo and Ronald?

We first encountered SL-09 early in 2025, a discovery that quickly sparked curiosity across our networks in Peru. During our origin trip that June and July, we visited Monotono Coffee Shop in Barranco, Lima, where an SL-09 was on the bar. The cup profile was striking—floral, sweet, and unusually expressive—and what stood out even more was that every SL-09 we had heard about traced back to a single district: Inkawasi. After several conversations with contacts in Peru and those connected to Monotono, we were introduced to Saulo, whom we met while he was working with the Cup of Excellence in Lima.

From that moment, everything aligned. Saulo’s reputation as a 2024 Cup of Excellence judge, Q-grader, and a key member of the Incahuasi cooperative gave us complete confidence in his ability as a producer. Even without cupping the lots on-site, we reserved coffee immediately—knowing SL-09 is one of the rarest and most exciting genetic treasures in Peru, and that Saulo and his brother Ronald were cultivating it with extraordinary care.

Our ongoing conversations since have only deepened that trust, marking the beginning of a relationship built on shared excitement for this varietal and its potential to help define the future identity of Peruvian coffee.

What Saulo & Ronald want you to know and why they're excited about their coffees

For Saulo and Ronald, SL-09 represents both pride and possibility. They believe this variety is one of Peru’s most exciting genetic resources—still largely undiscovered and almost absent from global databases. Their dream is for Geisha Inca to become a defining symbol of Peruvian coffee identity.

In their own words:

“This variety is impressive; I’d say it’s a complete coffee. In the cup it reflects a mix of fruits and flowers, a phosphoric acidity, and a dense, heavy body. My dream is for Peru to have an identity with this variety… just as Ecuador has Sidra and Panama has Geisha, SL-09 should be the calling card of Peruvian coffee.”

Their excitement comes from both the flavour potential and the cultural significance, SL-09 could become one of the Andes’ most important contributions to the specialty world.