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Mexico City · Mexico

BUNA

Since 2012 · Lalo Pérez Varona, Santiago, David

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Overview

BUNA was founded in 2012 by three Mexico City childhood friends — Lalo Pérez Varona, Santiago and David — who chose coffee as the vehicle for an explicitly conservation-oriented business after Lalo got his start at Allegro Coffee in 2010. The original Buna 42 cafe at Orizaba 42 in Roma Norte has since shifted to a smaller espresso bar, with the main operation now centered at the Doctores roastery; the company is a B Corp and works with around 350 producers across Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz, Guerrero, Tabasco, Hidalgo and the State of Mexico, increasingly under intensive agroforestry contracts.

Known for

  • Conservation-first roaster: B Corp certified, agroforestry technical-assistance program for ~350 Mexican producers
  • Wholesale clients include Enrique Olvera's restaurants Pujol and Quintonil (CDMX), Atla (NYC) and Damian (LA), plus Rosetta and Rokai
  • Cafe-bar exchange program with Prolog Coffee in Copenhagen, swapping bar takeovers each summer
  • Distinctive 'kiki/bouba'–inspired packaging artwork designed to bypass technical jargon and appeal to intuition
  • Rooftop garden at the Doctores roastery used to grow vegetables and herbs for in-house service

Why it matters

BUNA is one of the few Mexican specialty roasters to anchor its business model in ecosystem conservation rather than provenance marketing, and its B Corp framework, agroforestry advisory program and high-end restaurant placements (the Olvera group, Rosetta) have made it a reference case for what at-origin specialty roasting can look like when the buyer and producer are in the same country.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
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color sorting
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roaster machine
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filter equipment
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cupping frequency
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roastery location
Calle Dr. Erazo 172, Doctores, Mexico City
espresso equipment
La Marzocco (per La Marzocco Café residency partnership)
annual volume tonnes
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Café

Orizaba 42, Roma Norte (espresso bar); Calle Dr. Erazo 172, Doctores (roastery cafe with food)

Recognitions

  • B Corp certified (Sistema B)
  • Roaster at Enrique Olvera's Pujol, Quintonil, Atla and Damian; supplier to Rosetta and Rokai
  • La Marzocco Café featured residency

Sources

More roasters