Ecuador's equatorial climate makes it possible to harvest Arabica and Robusta coffee all year round. Ecuador is one of the few countries in the world where coffee can be grown practically throughout the entire national territory. The most commonly grown plants are Bourbon, Typica, Caturra and Sidra, but Gesha, Heirloom, Java and Pacamara are now also cultivated.
The provinces of Manabí, Guayas and El Oro produce more than half of Ecuador's total coffee production. Coffee is cultivated in lands ranging from 40 to 600 meters above sea level. Coffee can be grown at lower altitudes because the Humboldt current passes through this zone during the flowering season and causes high levels of sugar to condense in the fruit, reducing its acidity.
Provinces of Pichincha, Imbabura and Carchi known for the production of specialty coffee. The Intag Valley, in particular, is recognized for its excellent highland Arabica with a balance of acidity, sweetness and bitterness. The coffee from Imbabura and Carchi is catalogued as one of the best in the country.
The Finca San Agustin is one of the few coffee-producing farms located practically in the heart of the Tulipe region. The farm can be visited one hour northwest of the capital Quito in the Pichincha Province. Alfonso Villagomez comes from a generation of farmers, continuing the tradition of producing high quality coffee.The Dávalos family acquired these lands 40 years ago and dedicated them for dairy purposes mostly. As time passed by, coffe started to grow in a very special way (from one single plant brought from Colombia in a family trip) and they noticed it had a unique flavor.The potential of this land is huge and, in the years to come, there will be more than 15 hectares producing only high quality- specialty coffee varieties.
The Yumbos -an ancient nomad tribe known for stablishing only in very special places for agriculture or astronomic purposes- hundreds of years ago.There are beautiful places to visit such as the hot springs, the tallo cave, the archaeological sites of the Yumbo people, the rivers and waterfall.
La Cueva de los Tayos de Gualea, a natural site located in the Miravalle sector, in the bioregion of Chocó, two hours from the city of Quito, on the road to Pacto, it is one of the 10 most biodiverse areas in the world.
The province of Pichincha has different tourist, natural, ancestral, productive and gastronomic places to know, one of them is the parish of Gualea.The parish of Gualea is located in the bio-region of Chocó, northwest of the province of Pichincha, is categorized as one of the ten most biodiverse areas in the world.
The agro-climatic conditions, the production systems and the particular processes for the management of the crop, harvest and post-harvest have granted important recognitions to the coffee from this zone of the country, among them the first place in the National Golden Cup contest, seven times in the eleven editions of the event. Loja is famous for Arabica coffee with defined acidity, medium sweetness and delicate aroma.
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Although only 2% of the total coffee production comes from the most biodiverse area of Ecuador, the Amazon region produces mainly Robusta coffee. These beans contain on average 83% more caffeine than Arabica beans, so brewing coffee from these beans also produces a cup with correspondingly more caffeine.
The Galapagos Islands are one of the few regions with two coffee harvests per year: from February to March and from November to December. This is thanks to the Humboldt Current. The main variety grown in these islands is Bourbon. The fertile volcanic soils of Santa Cruz and San Cristobal islands produce a well-balanced and less acidic coffee that is popular among tourists visiting the Islands.
