Residency at Gocta Lab

Welcome to my process blog. This might get a little nerdy, but hopefully it’ll be interesting for anyone in the beverage world—or anyone curious about endemic Andean–Amazonian ingredients from Peru. I’m spending one month at Gocta Lab in Amazonas, Peru, developing a beverage from local ingredients, and this space is where I’ll document that work.

Pitahaya Churuja

Ingredient #2: La pitahaya amarilla churuja: Hylocereus sp THE pitahaya (dragon fruit in English) from Churuja, Bongará, Amazonas. Churuja is only about 20 minutes' driving from Gocta Lab , though you find the climbing cactus growing wild all over the area, like a weed. Endemic to this region, this pitahaya has recently become a crop in high demand in Lima and in export markets. The region is seeking to expand plantations to meet the rapidly growing demand. The pitahaya c

Kami Kenna

Dec 12, 20252 min read

RAKACHA

Rakacha is a Quechua word, while in Spanish the plant is known as arracacha, zanahoria blanca, or apio criollo. Ingredient #1: Peeling rakacha at Gocta Lab Rakacha is an ancestral Andean tuber; its domestication predates that of the potato and corn. It is likely the oldest cultivar in South America. Its growing cycle is 10-12 months and must be harvested before flowering. It grows between 1,500 and 3,000 meters above sea level. The highest genetic diversity has been found ar

Kami Kenna

Dec 10, 20252 min read

Residency at Gocta Lab

Pitahaya Churuja

RAKACHA

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