Guillermo has only been growing coffee for 7 years, having previously worked with corn and beans.

SIDRA

Guillermo Lomas

This year, CafExporto have 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 shocked 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. Guillermo Lomas has only been growing coffee for 7 years, having previously only grown corn and beans on his farm just outside the town of Nanegal, in the Pinchincha region. Nanegal is only about a two hour drive from Ecuadorean capital Quito, so Guillermo’s cost of production is rather higher than in more rural regions to the south. Guillermo had previously been able to export some of his coffee on the speciality market, but the success of this year’s work with CafExporto, both in terms of the volume he was able to export and the price paid, has convinced him to dedicate himself to coffee.

For the upcoming harvest he is planting a greater area of the farm with new seedlings provided by CafExporto, and fully embracing Juan Peña’s protocols in fertilisation, fermentation and drying. With this year’s harvest already being of such a high quality, we are excited to see how Guillermo’s relationship with CafExporto can lead to consistently excellent lots. This particular lot was a highlight for us on the cupping table in Cuenca during our visit to Ecuador in November 2021. One cup contrasted starkly from the sparkly and delicate Typicas on the rest of the table; deep, rich and creamy, with round vanilla aromatics. We found this character in several Sidra varietal cups during the trip, clearly showcasing the intense sweetness of its Bourbon parentage.