Heritage
A house, in its own words
Beatrice Graf grew up navigating two worlds. German by birth and upbringing, she carries Peruvian heritage through her family, a background she has described as shaping her creative sensibility. As Senior Editor at Vogue in Munich, she developed a professional eye for aesthetics and storytelling, skills that would later inform her approach to fragrance. The idea for Casa de Coca emerged from her desire to share her homeland with audiences who might never visit. She wanted to create something that communicated Peru not through surface-level exotica, but through genuine sensory and emotional authenticity. The brand name itself references the coca plant, sacred in Andean culture and central to Peru's identity for millennia. Rather than treating this as a novelty, Graf approached it as she would a Vogue editorial, seeking depth, craft, and cultural respect. The brand launched with three fragrances in 2021, each representing different dimensions of Peruvian experience, from highland botanicals to nighttime rituals. Graf's position at Vogue provided an initial platform, but the brand has built its audience through fragrance enthusiasts drawn to culturally grounded scent storytelling rather than celebrity or fashion branding. Casa de Coca operates from a conviction that fragrance can carry cultural memory. The brand does not simply label itself as Peruvian-inspired; it treats each scent as an act of translation between cultures. Graf has spoken about growing up with the sensory landscape of Peru, the smell of certain plants, the particular quality of light, and wanting to bottle that without resorting to stereotypical tropical notes. Her editorial background informs a curatorial approach to perfumery, selecting ingredients and narratives that feel specific rather than generic. The brand's name presents an immediate challenge to Western assumptions about Peru, taking the coca leaf (often associated only with cocaine production) and reclaiming its traditional significance in Andean ceremony and medicine. This reframing reflects the brand's broader intent: to present Peru on its own terms, through the lens of someone who belongs to both cultures. The German precision Graf brings means the fragrances are structured and deliberate, while the Latin influence adds warmth and narrative instinct.