hello!

We’re Laurra and Meryem 👋

Two friends brought together by coffee, long walks and one very unlikely bean.

Meryem is a scientist with a lifelong connection to lupins. She grew up eating them in Portugal, later studied natural products and plants, and eventually found herself asking a slightly strange question:

What happens if you roast one?

Laurra has spent the past 15 years helping food and drink brands work out who they are, what makes them different and how to tell their story.

She also loves coffee. A lot.

Just not always the jitters, poor sleep or disappointing decaf that can come with it.

So Meryem brought the science and the beans. Laurra brought the brand and the marketing. Together, we created LUCO.

A rich, roasted, naturally caffeine-free brew made from UK-grown lupin beans.

Not coffee. Not decaf. A new kind of brew.

We swear it’s not coffee.

  • meryem

    Meryem is a scientist specialising in natural products, plants and sustainable ingredient innovation. With a PhD in organic chemistry and a lifelong connection to lupins from growing up in Portugal, she brings the science, product knowledge and curiosity behind LUCO.

  • Laurra

    Laurra has spent the past 15 years helping food and drink brands find their story, sharpen their positioning and develop their brand. A lifelong coffee lover with a strong interest in health, wellbeing and nutrition, she brings LUCO’s marketing strategy to life.

  • phil

    Phil is a Chartered Engineer with more than 25 years’ experience across engineering, food innovation, biomass processing and international R&D. He brings deep technical and commercial experience to LUCO, helping turn an interesting idea into a scalable product and supply chain.

OUR GOLDEN ROASTER 

Yes, just like coffee we roast our lupin beans in a Golden Coffee Roaster in Leeds, West Yorkshire! It took 14 attempts to find the perfect roasting time for our beans to create the smoothest, richest brew as close to a coffee-like taste as we could get it!