Spectacular views around Hacienda La Papaya, located Saraguro, Loja Provice
With its tropical climate and incredible biodiversity, Ecuador’s best coffees are delicate, floral, stone fruit-like, and syrupy sweet. Despite their deliciousness, Ecuadorian coffees are lesser-known: the country has a small harvest and accounts for less than 1% of the world’s coffee supply. Most Ecuadorian coffees are grown on small farms between 1-10 hectares, and coffee itself is often not the main source of income for farmers. Ecuador also experienced a major economic crisis in the early 2000s that led younger generations to either leave rural areas or emigrate abroad, while older generations stayed behind to tend to farms. Desperate for a solution, the government decided to abandon their own currency and adopt the US dollar. With the price of goods in Ecuador tied to the strength of the US economy, wages increased. Now, not only does Ecuador have a low level of production, their cost of production is also high. However, it should be noted that the dollarization has allowed Ecuador to be the closest to receiving an equitable price for its coffee. Challenges aside, Ecuador has incredible potential, and there are farmers who are putting a lot of work and effort into producing high quality coffees. Meet Juan Pena.
A coffee nursery at Hacienda La Papaya
Juan is a multigenerational farmer and former long-stem rose producer, but he turned to coffee in 2010 after disastrous weather conditions wiped out his flower fields. Although he is relatively new to coffee himself, his meticulous approach to growing coffee has earned him recognition as one of the most distinguished emerging specialty coffee producers. He received the 2019 Sprudge Award for Notable Producer, and his coffees have been used by several coffee professionals in barista competitions.
We learned about Juan Peña through Dustin Demers, a friend of Andytown. He was a roaster dedicated to his craft, always eager to learn and experiment in order to bring out the best flavor characteristics of every coffee he roasted. Dustin admired Juan and his work, sharing the same curiosity and commitment to quality. After Dustin visited Juan at his farm in 2015, the two were often in communication, and Dustin was always excited to share his roasting experiments. He raved to us about Juan’s coffees, and after his first year of buying it, he was determined to serve it year after year. Dustin passed away in 2017, leaving behind several bags of green coffee from Juan. We didn’t want this coffee to go to just anyone, so we purchased the bags on reserve. This coffee was special—it was Dustin’s coffee, and we didn’t want to treat it like our other offers. It also didn’t feel right for us to make a profit on it, either.
Roos, former Head Roaster, and Juan enjoying the view while having a chat
Juan shared our heartbreak when he learned of Dustin’s passing, and we connected with him to find a way to honor Dustin’s memory. Juan was working on building a cupping lab on his farm, Hacienda La Papaya. He needed a place to roast and cup his coffees without making the long drive to the nearest lab. In 2017 we started the Turning Point Project and set out to roast Juan's reserved coffee using Dustin's roast profile, using the proceeds to fund the cupping lab under Dustin's name. To help complete Juan’s lab, we purchased an Ikawa sample roaster, a machine that we think Dustin would have loved, an iPad used to control the Ikawa, and a refurbished Mahlkonig coffee grinder that can handle large volumes of coffee. In May 2018, the Turning Point Project came to full circle. Michael and Roos, our former Head Roaster and friend of Dustin, travelled to Ecuador to deliver the equipment to Juan.
Setting up the final touches for Dustin Demers Coffee Lab
Michael, Roos, and Juan
We’ve kept in touch with Juan since our visit, and after years of planning, we were finally able to purchase two stellar lots from Hacienda La Papaya this year. Dustin visited Juan because he had to meet the farmer who produced a typica coffee variety that tasted like a gesha variety: floral, aromatic, tea-like, and fruity. As a nod to Dustin, our first coffee release is a washed typica that carries notes of rosehip, mango, and licorice tea. It’s complex with a crystalline body, and refreshing both hot and iced. We hope you love this coffee as much as we do!
