Ecuador is famous for being one of the world’s most biologically diverse countries. The experience of drinking well-produced coffee from one of Ecuador’s best terroirs is a unique experience, full of florality and nuance. We’ve cupped and purchased more coffees from Ecuador this year than ever before and we couldn’t be prouder to connect roasters with them.
Due to several unique market constraints, Ecuador’s coffee is hardly accessible to everyone. Ecuador imports almost as much as it ships, for the country’s formidable soluble coffee industry. At the farm level, production tends to be low on a per–hectare basis compared with similar terroirs elsewhere due to plant spacing and long, gradual growing seasons. Ecuador also enjoys a thriving domestic coffee roasting industry that competes directly with international buyers for large volumes (using the US Dollar no less, Ecuador’s national currency). The overall result is scarce quantities of available top coffees, often at high prices.
While coffee production overall in Ecuador has declined in recent decades, producers who can balance production costs with sustainable output have the potential for exciting growth. Royal is proud to announce the return arrival of this year’s lineup of traceable smallholder microlots from Ecuador’s southern Loja Province, as well as top-quality coffees and Crown Jewel selections from estates in Pichincha and Imbabura Provinces.
The best coffees are delicately flavored, perfume-like, citric, and syrupy sweet, clear expressions of Arabica’s more subtle characteristics and careful year-round harvesting. There is nothing quite like them.
Coffee is grown in 23 out of Ecuador’s 24 provinces, but Arabica is primarily found in the western foothills of the Andes, South of Guayaquil, and in the hilly areas of Manabi province. Loja, Pichincha, Imbabura, Sucumbios, Orellana, Manabi, and the Galapagos Islands. In the north, especially in regions like Pichincha and Imbabura, there are a lot of professionals from other industries farming coffee. These producers tend to have bigger farms, and are interested in very high-quality coffee, which often includs experimenting with meticulous processing methods and careful lot separation.
Production has fallen significantly in the past 10 years due to low profitability, high cost of production, and other more appealing crops. The cost of labor is considerably more expensive than in neighboring countries. Because of this, many producers need to have a strong focus on quality to match the high costs that will be associated with producing these coffees. When tasting Ecuadors, expect excellence.
In the sierras, Typica, Caturra, Typica Mejorado, Bourbon, Castillo, even SL-28 and Gesha, and Sidra which is a cross between Red Bourbon and Typica,
Ecuador is known for washed, but growing trends for natural, honey, and even anaerobic .
