Ecuador Chito Community

Story

For the past three years, Juan Peña and his team at CafExporto have been developing a regional blend in collaboration with coffee producers of the Chito community in the Zamora Chinchipe region of southern Ecuador.

The average farm in this area is only 4 acres large, with most producers and their families living off the land they cultivate. There are currently 55 producers in the Chito community, who have traditionally sold their coffee for consumption in Ecuador’s domestic market. This is one of the several communities CafExporto “found” during their 2021 harvest. CafExporto have invested in these producers by providing seeds of new varieties (Typica Mejorada & Sidra), introducing fertilization programs, and guidance on growing practices.

A vast majority (96%) of the final blend comes from just five producers, including Leodan Alverca, José Jiménez, Pablo Guerrero, Nazario Zurita, and Luis Polinario. All producers follow processing protocols established by Juan Peña. Only ripe cherries are selected during picking, which are then depulped the same day before being moved to fermentation tanks where they’ll remain between 18-24 hours, depending on climate. The cleaned, washed coffee is then sun dried on patios anywhere between 9 and 18 days.