Ecuador | Finca Soledad | Typica | Tyoxy Washed

Quick Facts

About This Bean

<p><strong>Region:</strong> <meta charset="utf-8"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW143385646 BCX8">Intag</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW143385646 BCX8"> Valley, Imbabura</span></p> <p><strong>Elevation:</strong><span> 1550 masl</span></p> <p><meta charset="utf-8"><strong>About: <meta charset="utf-8"></strong><span class="TextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">Fifteen years ago, José “Pepe” </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW176728991 BCX8">Jijón’s</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> life was </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">very different</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> indeed. In 2010, he decided to settle down and reconnect with the natural beauty of his homeland, purchasing Finca Soledad—a 120-hectare farm high above the Intag Valley in northern Ecuador, near the Colombian border.</span></span><span data-ccp-props='{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}' class="EOP SCXW176728991 BCX8"> </span></p> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW176728991 BCX8"> <p lang="EN-GB" class="Paragraph SCXW176728991 BCX8"><span class="TextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">In his younger years, Pepe travelled the world working as a mountaineering guide and became the first Latin American to climb all Seven Summits—the highest mountains on each continent.</span></span><span data-ccp-props='{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}' class="EOP SCXW176728991 BCX8"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW176728991 BCX8"> <p lang="EN-GB" class="Paragraph SCXW176728991 BCX8"><span class="TextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">Finca Soledad sits high in the Ecuadorian Andes. Now beautiful and lush, the area was previously a victim of mining operations and heavy deforestation. Pepe and the team at Finca Soledad, including his father and his son, José, have been working to restore the land to its natural state and have replanted over 25,000 trees. Pepe employs a biodynamic approach to farming at Soledad—a holistic, regenerative, and organic method of agriculture that views the farm as a living ecosystem, </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW176728991 BCX8">utilising</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> feedback from each part of the system to </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">determine</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> what the farm needs.</span></span><span data-ccp-props='{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335551550":0,"335551620":0,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}' class="EOP SCXW176728991 BCX8"> </span></p> </div> <div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCXW176728991 BCX8"> <p lang="EN-GB" class="Paragraph SCXW176728991 BCX8"><span class="TextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8" lang="EN-US" data-contrast="none"><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">Originally a much larger operation, today Pepe has focused his coffee production on a small 4-hectare section of the farm, growing unique varieties such as Geisha, Sidra, and Typica Mejorado—a little-known variety believed to be native to Ecuador. Current research suggests </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8">it’s</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> a cross between an heirloom Ethiopian variety and Bourbon. Pepe has long cultivated this variety, and with its exceptional quality, it has become a </span><span class="NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW176728991 BCX8">favourite</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW176728991 BCX8"> in many world coffee competitions.</span></span></p> </div>