Visit from Peru in Germany

Don Martin and cumpa co-founder Lukas first met back in 2014, when Lukas was working as a volunteer in a workshop in Moyobamba, Peru.

The eleven years since then have been quite a journey—one that Don Martin, his son Jimmy, and cumpa have largely taken together.

It began with a two-week internship by Lukas at the Aproeco cooperative in 2016—then led by Don Martin and Jimmy—followed by a semester-long study internship at Aproeco in 2017/2018, the founding of cumpa during a trip to Peru in 2018, Jimmy’s travels to Europe with Lukas, and shared adventures in Peru.

Since 2018, Don Martin has been back at his farm “La Piramide,” where he also welcomed a group of roasters in 2023 as part of an origin trip.

Unlike his son Jimmy, Don Martin had never been able to fulfill his dream of traveling to Europe. We wanted to change that—so in 2025, we invited him to celebrate his birthday with us in Germany. What was originally planned as a celebration for his 60th birthday turned out to be his 59th, but that didn’t stop us from moving forward with our plans.

Thanks to careful preparation, the long journey went smoothly, and we were happy to welcome Don Martin and Jimmy to Bretten in the southwest of Germany, where they stayed in a charming hotel room on the old market square.

We spent the first few days adjusting to the jet lag, enjoying lots of delicious coffee, and taking walks with cumpa co-founder Lukas and his family. After that, our program officially began.

The heart of the visit was the actual birthday celebration on July 29, 2025, held at our long-time partner Laufenmühle. Tucked away in Welzheim, this institution for people with disabilities also runs an organic specialty coffee roastery. We’ve been partners since 2019 – and in 2023, several of their team members joined us on a trip to Peru.

Another partner, Kaffeemanufaktur Würzburg, was able to be part of both encounters – first visiting the finca in 2023, then joining the birthday celebration in 2025.

After an eventful day filled with a birthday celebration, traditional German food, and a Q&A session about Don Martin’s life, we headed to Freiburg the next day. There, we met up with cumpa co-founder Daniel and spent some time with Enrico, a coffee professional who moves between Colombia and Germany—or Peru, where he first met Don Martin’s family in 2018.

Together, we enjoyed the gem of southwestern Germany in a warm, family-like setting and reminisced about old times.

Good Karma Coffee in Karlsruhe is the roastery where Lukas began his journey into the local specialty coffee scene in 2015. It was here that we celebrated ten years of partnership – GKC founder Thorsten was the first, in 2016, to receive green coffee samples of Peruvian coffees after Lukas’ trip. In early 2018, while Lukas was doing his internship in Moyobamba, Thorsten purchased eleven sacks of green coffee from Aproeco. This coffee became the first test import and marked the unofficial start of cumpa.

Both coffees were significantly shaped by Don Martin and Jimmy during their time as leaders within the cooperative. Today, the cooperative is led by a new president and a new managing director. However, Don Martin and Jimmy remain respected members and continue to support the cooperative as mentors, especially when it comes to important decisions.

To round off the trip, Jimmy and Don Martin traveled to Munich, where they met with cumpa team members Paul, Christine, and Clara. Together, they strolled through the city, explored another facet of German cuisine, and ended the day with an impressive tasting session at The Stray Coffee.

To wrap up their two-week journey through Germany, Jimmy and Don Martin filled their suitcases with souvenirs for friends and family. Then it was time to say goodbye.

For us, it was a special honor to welcome both of them to Germany. Lukas has visited Peru many times and experienced its incredible hospitality—now, we finally had the chance to return some of that warmth.

And if there’s one thing we’ve learned over a decade of connection, it’s this: no farewell is forever! We’re already looking forward to the next reunion—whether in Peru, Germany, or somewhere else.