Day 2 | Ecuador Typica Maputo Rancho Tio Emilio Microlot

This special microlot comes to us from the Gaibor family and their farm Finca Maputo in La Perla, Nanegal, Pichincha. Located in the cloud forests of the Andean Plateau, this area of Ecuador is known for its unique microclimate and active volcanoes. Warmer temperatures keep coffee plants comfortable during the day and the cooler nights slightly stress them into producing cherries with high sugar content. The volcanic soil is rich with nutrients and the rainfall and humidity are high with mists often hovering over the fields.

The farm is divided into 3 plots: Maputo, Hakuna Matata, and Rancho Tio Emilio. Maputo and Hakuna Matata are owned by husband and wife team Henry and Verena and include their house as well as the washing, pulping, and drying stations. Rancho Tio Emilio is owned by Henry’s brother Jose, an infant heart surgeon in the nearby town. Together Henry and Verena oversee the daily operations of the whole farm.

Finca Maputo was named after the city where Verena and Henry met. They were both volunteering for Doctors without Borders during a humanitarian crisis in Burundi. In 1998 the couple settled in Ecuador, Henry’s home country, where they managed a clinic in Quito for 13 years before deciding to devote their time and energy to coffee.

Verena and Henry’s methodical approach to farming has won them many prizes and earned them recognition in the national and international markets. They oversee all aspects of production. Perfectly ripe coffee cherries are carefully harvested, sorted for quality, and fully washed in clean water. The coffee is spread out on raised beds in covered greenhouses to dry for a number of days. Due to the area’s high humidity, the process is finished in a mechanical drying chamber where the coffee dries until its moisture level is 11%.

The typica varietal has a long history and can be traced back to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Typica is one of the root varieties of arabica, a mutation of one or more plants from Ethiopia that were planted in Yemen and then transplanted by the Dutch to Java in the 17th century. It can be found in all the major coffee-growing regions of the world and is the parent to numerous other popular varietals. Typica is well-known for its top quality cup, but tends to be grown only rarely because of its susceptibility to pests and diseases and low yields.