Coqui Coqui: The Essence of Yucatán
There is a strong connection between our sense of smell and memories, and surely there are certain scents that take you back to very specific times in your past. Coqui Coqui’s perfumes are born with this purpose in mind, to transport us through our senses to time spent in Yucatán and to invoke the state’s different elements, landscapes, and vegetation.
Coqui Coqui is a complete lifestyle experience. Their signature scents are the heart and soul of the story, which began more than 20 years ago. Today their exquisite collection of residences, spas, and boutiques serve as the showcase for their perfumeria’s original fragrances.
The History Behind Coqui Coqui
Argentina-born ex-model Nicolas Malleville and Italian-born fashion designer Francesca Bonato met and fell in love back in 2003 on a beach of the Mexican Caribbean. They combined their talents in interior design, architecture, and style, to eventually create the five residences they currently have across the Yucatán Península. Now, even their former home in the charming colonial town of Valladolid is open to the public: Meson de Malleville. Together with Matías González, the three Coqui Coqui partners have pioneered a lifestyle brand synonymous with elegance and grace.
Coqui Coqui's Fragances
It all begins in their lab in Valladolid, La Perfumería, which is also the brand’s flagship store. Here, each fragrance is created by Yucatecan hands following artisanal production methods and utilizing local flowers, fruits, herbs, and wood as their inspiring main ingredients. With each scent, you are flooded with memories of Yucatán: the frangipani flowers after the morning dew, a freshly squeezed sour orange, the rosewater your grandmother wore, or the green leaves of an agave.
All of Coqui Coqui’s fragrances are timeless, unisex, and available in a variety of products made to nurture both your body and home. From sumptuous bath oils, soaps, and colognes to sophisticated beeswax candles and scent diffusers that bring a touch of luxury and pleasure to everyday life. To discover the entire collection, all you need to do is visit one of the storefronts in Valladolid, Mérida, Izamal, or Cobá.
Coqui Coqui's Flavors
10 years after of the opening of Coqui Coqui Perfumería Valladolid, as host, headquarters, and fundamental piece of all the Coqui Coqui Residences, the brand presents the flavors and scents of México, and particularly of Yucatán, in a synchronized symbiosis introducing an aroma, a flavor, by way of the mouth.
Introducing the taste of the scents was done by creating the first toothpaste inspired in our state. The base is fresh mint, and provides a way to taste the collection of scents that inspired Coqui Coqui from the beginning: the exotic and sophistication of nature and Mexican culture.
Their line of sacred honey, which includes the “Melipona” (nectar of the Maya) and the “Apis Melífera”, are both combined with the pink pepper from the “pirul”, cardamom from Veracruz and vanilla of Papantla, ground and toasted in the “comal”.
The infusions release adventurous aromatic notes the moment they come together with local ingredients: wild chamomile, “azahares” from Yucatán, hibiscus flower (“jamaica”), Castilla rose, vanilla orchid from Papantla, as well as lemon balm, astringent lemon grass, courtyard cedar and garden mint.
Coqui Coqui presents the magical and always-desired cacao in a chocolate bar in the form of a gold ingot, with the scent and flavor of coconut, the subtle hibiscus flower and rose petals, that are also combined with the intensity of cardamom, fresh mint and our favorite, bitter orange with lemon grass, from their own botanic garden.
The containers of these magical flavors are made from pottery and glass, combined with ancestral techniques such as gold leaf, cut glass and cracked finishes. Coqui Coqui decided to work with the best Mexican artisans for two whole years, creating these amazing containers.
They have two different pottery lines: one that is reminiscent of the elegance of 100 years ago, decorated with imperial gold leaf; and the rustic and contemporary pottery decorated with cracked finishes and the signature style of the Coqui Coqui Oficios Artesanos.
Coqui Coqui's Residences
If you truly want the full sensory experience, Coqui Coqui hosts guests at five residences that conform The Only One Collection. Here, the amenities and top-notch services are for you alone, making for a perfect getaway with your partner or staycation. Each one-suite residence has its own personality and adopts the essence of the city in which it’s located, from mystical Izamal to modern and classic Mérida.
When staying at any of the residences, you will be indulged with Coqui Coqui’s own aromatic products: shampoo, conditioner, soap, and even toothpaste. You will also sleep under the handcrafted bedcover made by local artisans. Your entire stay is a sensory experience through fragrance…and when you leave, you will be given samples to take home with you, to evoke the memory of your stay long after it has ended.
Perfect Souvenirs and Gifts
If you’re looking to take home a souvenir, either for yourself or to give to someone special, a keepsake that captivates the senses will be sure to bring back memories of Yucatán and can be found at Coqui Coqui.
Coqui Coqui L’Epicerie
Calle 55 N.516 Entre 62 y 64 Centro, Mérida, Yucatán
Tel. (999) 923 0216
Coqui Coqui Casa de los Santos
Calle 31 #277 entre 26 y 28, Centro Izamal, Yucatán
Tel. (999) 529 3403
Coqui Coqui La Perfumería
Calzada de los Frailes entre 48 y 50, Colonia Sisal Valladolid, Yucatán
Tel. (985) 856 3065
Coqui Coqui Maison de Malleville
Calle 41-A #225, Colonia Sisal Valladolid, Yucatán
Tel. (985) 856 5806
mesondemalleville@coquicoqui.com
First published in Yucatán Today print and digital magazine no. 407, in November 2021.
Photography by Coqui Coqui and Yucatán Today for its use in Yucatán Today.
