Chito - Ecuador, La Cabra | 250g

Producer: Chito Farmers

Region: Zamora Chinchipe

Altitude: 1600 masl

Varietal: Typica

Process: Washed

Harvest: July 2022

Last year, CafExporto expanded their operation to include coffees from talented producers across Ecuador, those who have great potential to produce high-end speciality lots, but haven’t had access to the market for them. During their travels in Ecuador, the CafExporto team were surprised by the incredible quality of lots they found being sold into the national market, losing transparency and denying the producer any chance of adding value to their work. The coffees they tasted in the Chito community were one such revelation. Clean and floral cups, with character formed by their healthy soils, careful processing, and mainly Typica varietal stock. The farmers of Chito also grow other varietals, mainly Catucai and Caturra, but CafExporto are assisting each producer with seedlings of Typica Mejorado, Sidra and Geisha, alongside agronomic advice. This is a very rural part of the country; with a majority of the population stemming from native Ecuadoreans, one hears a mix of Spanish and native dialects here. The Chito sub-region lies in the far south of Ecuador, bordered by Peru in the East, and the Mayo River in the West. The town itself sits in the bottom of a valley, surrounded by fertile farming lands in the hills. The farms are very small, averaging less than a hectare, so individual lots would be too small to export alone. For this reason, CafExporto selected the highest quality lots and created a Community lot, consisting of the work of 55 producers across the Chito sub-region. This year, CafExporto’s support to the Chito community in processing has led to increased quality and longevity compared to last year’s lot, with clean and floral aromatics followed by green tea and citrus in the cup.