Our March coffee of the month is produced in the Santa Isabel community in southern Ecuador. This natural processed coffee is medium-bodied with quick and sharp acidity. The cup starts with the acidic pop of bergamot. As the acidity fades, notes of hazelnut develop in the cup. The citrus and hazelnut notes sweeten in the finish and meld with bittersweet notes of chocolate. We are pleasantly surprised by the uniqueness of this coffee, it's very different than our other offerings. 

Roast Color: Medium

Cupping Notes: Hazelnut, Bergamot, Chocolate

Story: Ecuador is one of the more elusive origins, likely the result of a high cost of production, which makes it more difficult to compete in a global market. A producer’s survival here depends on an ability to make a premium to cover the higher costs of labor. Juan Peña, who established an export company called CaféExporto, has been working on ways to capture quality premiums with a group of producers from the community of Santa Isabel who cultivate coffee on just a few acres of land. Juan believes the climate in Santa Isabel has potential for quality and he has been providing seed and technical support to producers.

Through a model of collaboration, Juan has been able to build a traceable community blend with a vibrant regional profile. Each producer has their own micro-mill to carefully harvest cherries, depulp, ferment, wash and gently dry the parchment on raised beds. CaféExporto provides crucial logistical support for things like warehousing, quality control and preparing coffee for export to the international market, which provides better income for everyone to reinvest in their farms and strengthen their families’ livelihoods. In return, participating farmers not only achieve higher yields and overall quality, but the new market connections mean more stable and generous prices direct to the farms via CafExporto.