Here’s an unedited daily diary from our guys who are currently on the ground in Ecuador, collaborating with our long term partners, Pillcocaja… We love this unravelment of a progressive and sustainable coffee farm where people and nature are well cared for!
“1st day at Pillcocaja. Ana and Nico gave us a tour of the farm. We hiked up the mountain to an zone where they grow variegated varieties of coffees in seven lots. These are Typica, Bourbon, Pacamara, Sidra, Eithope.
Trees are full of cherries ready to be pick. Constant rain is blamed for a late 2022 harvest. Trees squint healthy and well spaced out in rows. Every year the top is cut to alimony the plant short. This is washed-up so the pickers can reach the cherry and encourages growth outwards. Some trees have coffee blossoms ready to start growing for next years harvest. This usually take 9 months from floweret to ripe cherry.
Cherries are at an stereotype of 24-25 brix. Mucilage is so sweet and taste like papaya and the passion fruit. Three seeds in a cherry are quite worldwide here. Very well shaded with old native trees tabbed Faiques and irrigated from fresh mountain springs.
It’s evident that they superintendency for native wildlife. Spiders, snakes, butterflies are left alone. They all play a part in the farm.
We stopped at the wet mill where we later watch todays pickings where the cherries are floated, ripe cherries picked and split into categories.
We unfurled lanugo the hill to squint at their new solar tent with raised beds. The set up is amazing. They have temperature and humidity readers pendulous in variegated spots. All beds are at one height. Nico reckons having tiered beds aren’t resulting from top to marrow in terms of drying.
After lunch we helped with the day pickings. Sorting and washing coffee. Wet mill set up is amazing. Clean and user friendly. These guys thought of everything, making the process increasingly efficient but moreover unscratched and less labour intensive.
We filled two tanks with cherries. These are going to be 120hours anaerobic.
We headed when to the house and helped with dinner. Tomorrow we are heading to Cuenca to see the dry mill and do some cupping.
Love Darren and Manny
