Ecuador

In 2010, Ena Galletti, a multifaceted figure in the coffee industry, purchased a small coffee farm in Carchi, the northern province near the Colombian border. Drawing on local expertise, she established a wet mill which facilitated the first shipment of seeds to Intelligentsia Coffee, a pioneering specialty coffee roaster based in Chicago. Then, a governmental signal prompted farmers to reassess their situation, leading many to abandon coffee for the more lucrative yet environmentally harmful and invasive mining industry—illustrating a broader national trend of shifting from agriculture to petroleum over the decades.

By 2023, Galletti was compelled to sell her farm. The land, repurposed for entertainment and tourists, now boasts luxury rooms for hundreds of dollars a night, spas, and horseback riding. In nearby Imbabura Province, the adult children of a late coffee producer opted to sell their family farm to sugar cane farmers rather than inherit the coffee legacy—bucking the industry’s long-held yet increasingly fleeting tradition of intergenerational farms. Nearby, a cannabis facility now occupies land that once supported coffee cultivation. Despite these setbacks, Galletti, now president of Ecuador’s specialty coffee association, remains optimistic and resolute; she understands the historical struggles of the coffee industry and envisions a specialty-focused future.

After gaining independence from Spanish colonial rule in the 1820s and briefly joining Simón Bolivar’s Republic of Gran Colombia, Ecuador declared itself a republic in 1830. Coffee was introduced in the early 19th century, with commercial production beginning in the 1920s. A few decades later, coffee and bananas, which traditionally grew alongside plantains and oranges, emerged as Ecuador’s top exports. The discovery of oil by the American company Texaco in the Ecuadorian Amazon in 1967 transformed the nation’s economy, which had relied on volatile exports like coffee, sugar, bananas, and cacao, towards petroleum. Today, Chevron, an American multinational behemoth and Texaco’s parent company, operates a PR website in Ecuador called ‘The Amazon Post’, promoting pro-oil narratives.

Several factors contribute to the high cost of Ecuadorian coffee. The dollarization of the economy in 2000, which raised prices of goods and labour, inextricably tied the economy to the dollar, and the closure of the coffee council in 2015 are among the durable contributors. This council, a governmental body, typically supports domestic coffee policies and trade in most producing countries. Consequently, Ecuadorian coffee is more expensive than that of its neighbours. For example, Colombia produces over 30 times more coffee, often on larger farms with less and cheaper labour.

Over the past 30 years, the area planted with coffee in Ecuador has plummeted from 347,000 hectares to just 60,000, according to the Ecuadorian National Association of Coffee Exporters and the Ministry of Agriculture. ‘The future of Ecuador is specialty (coffee) because we cannot compete with commercial (coffee) in quantity or price,’ stated Galletti.

To realize Galletti’s vision of Ecuador as a leader in equitable and quality coffee production, one begins by flying into Quito, the capital. From there, the journey heads north, crossing the equator. As you travel away from zero degrees latitude, you are greeted by vast fields of blooming roses. Continuing towards the more travelled and populous Colombia, which cultivates nearly 17 times the coffee-growing area and employs about nine times as many coffee farmers, you arrive in Imbabura Province.

Driving northwest through the Andes, you navigate cliffs and swift motorcyclists along winding roads that reveal vast views of mountains and lush landscapes. Eventually, you descend into the Intag Valley, a remote cloud forest named after the river etched through its base. The region’s rich biodiversity and towering peaks support various crops secluded beneath canopy cover, including corn, beans, cacao, sugarcane, and coffee. Despite facing a decades-long struggle against unwanted foreign mining expansion, Intag’s diminishing coffee farms focus on quality over quantity, producing beans that specialty coffee enthusiasts in Hong Kong, New York City, and increasingly local Ecuadorian cafes eagerly seek.

As you approach the Intag River near the dormant yet imposing Wariman (Gualiman) volcano, a narrow road leads you southwest, where neatly organized sections of Colombia-bound red legumes dry on the pavement under the equatorial sun. A bridge takes you to a switchback that climbs a verdant mountain, surrounded by taller peaks. Along this tree-lined dirt and gravel road overlooking the river now distantly beneath, you come across a Starlink satellite-connected home belonging to a retired couple from America’s Pacific Northwest, highlighting Ecuador’s status as a peaceful and affordable haven for American retirees. Just beyond this home, through a gate, lies Finca Soledad (Solitude Farm), nearly 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level. This seven-hectare coffee farm, a mountaineer’s sequestered escape, specializes in the locally unique Mejorado and Sidra varietals and has earned numerous specialty coffee awards in recent years.

Pepe Jijon, the farm’s eccentric and nature-rooted producer, has secured comparatively high wages for his farmers and dream prices for his green coffee by resisting expansion, providing intentional shade cover, committing to biodynamic practices, and utilizing social media. Some buyers in Europe and America, who purchase his lots without sampling, liken his coffee to Kenyan varieties, noting its complex acidity and dark berry notes.

Galletti's mention of fair prices for Ecuadorian coffee often elicits scoffs from buyers at specialty coffee expos. However, some believe Ecuador is cultivating a distinctive reputation for quality, similar to that of Panamanian coffee. Historically, Ecuadorian farmers, along with others, have struggled to meet buyers’ evolving, and at times, unrealistic demands. Camila Khalifé, a Quito-born entrepreneur and founder of Botánica—a training centre and quality lab—attributes this challenge to the power and influence buyers have over producers. Her ‘Girlsplaining’ workshop is one of various coffee education initiatives aimed at highlighting Ecuadorian coffee’s uniqueness. These efforts seek to attract northern buyers eager for high-quality coffee to visit Ecuadorian farms.

Among the visitors are European roasters who are now building relationships with Ecuadorian producers after years of minimal connections, which began to change with trade deals established in 2016 and 2019. This marks a significant shift from a time when producers were desperate to sell at any price. Over the past decade, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, the landscape has transformed dramatically; buyers now actively seek any Ecuadorian coffee to import. Compared to Ecuador’s dominance in instant coffee production in the 1980s, the current perception of and expectations for Ecuadorian coffee in 2025 reflect substantial progress.

At the 2023 World Brewers Cup in Athens, Johann Buenaño, a two-time Ecuador Brewers Cup champion, was asked about the coffee he used for competition. He gestured to Jijon of Soledad and replied, ‘It’s from this guy next to me.’ Buenaño noted that the presence of Jijon and other Ecuadorians, such as Juan Peña of La Papaya farm and Abel Salinas of Arashi, at specialty coffee events around the world benefits Ecuador. Their participation inspires locals, and importantly, young Ecuadorians, to engage in coffee production. Jijon’s outgoing son, Jose, has even begun sharing the spotlight with his father at expos. This collaboration among leading figures in Ecuador’s specialty scene reflects the country’s hospitality and community spirit.

Although the specialty sector in Ecuador is growing, it remains close-knit, with most players familiar with one another and collaborating closely. The rise of specialty coffee in Ecuador has been ongoing for over a decade, as many families have quietly nurtured small farms while steering clear of industrial practices. Despite facing challenging social, economic, and environmental conditions, their journey has not always been secure; for example, Soledad nearly faced closure a few years ago. A social media campaign at the fingertips of Jijon and his phone’s camera captivated coffee buyers secluded from travel during the pandemic and resurrected the farm to its current state of popularity.

Like Jijon’s intentionally spaced gesha shaded by cedro trees, farmers in eastern Ecuador’s Amazon are reclaiming their overlooked recognition. Fabio Legarda, the son of a robusta coffee farmer, never imagined he would return to the Amazon after leaving on the brink of adulthood. Despite challenges in finding workers for his cooperative of nearly 20 coffee farms, his specialty robusta operation in ‘the jungle,’ Witoca, has thrived both domestically and abroad. Situated near Ecuador’s Sumaco Galeras National Park, Witoca embodies the historical challenges and optimistic future of Ecuador’s coffee industry across the country’s four distinct regions.

Legarda faces a significant threat from illegal mining and deforestation just 30 miles (50 km) from Witoca. To combat monocropping, he diversifies his farm by producing cacao and fruits alongside coffee, adhering to traditional Amazonian practices. By roasting nearly 75 per cent of Witoca’s coffee on-site for domestic consumption (with Germany importing most of the remainder), Legarda is fostering Ecuador’s growing community of specialty coffee consumers.

While producers and brewers promote loyalty to Ecuador’s homegrown coffee scene, demand for outside brands and domestically produced soluble coffee remains strong. For instance, when Starbucks opened its first store in Quito in 2024, the queue wrapped around the block. Like many producing countries, Colombia and Peru export their best coffee, allowing lower-quality beans to cross into Ecuador, where consumers seek affordable options.

A rising reputation from highlands to city centres

Wilson Marmol, a charming Ecuadorian whose hair falls into a single woven braid, grew up in Quito and Otavalo, a town about two hours north of the capital. For him and many Ecuadorians, soluble coffee was a staple; instant coffee, imported and processed year-round, was all they knew. Over the past decade, the consumption of soluble coffee in Ecuador has steadily increased by 12 to 15 per cent annually, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Yet, so too has the consumption of specialty coffee. Soluble coffee is so ingrained in the culture that some Ecuadorian coffee professionals have only recently learned that coffee comes from a seed. As interest in quality coffee grows—thanks to Ecuadorian farmers successfully producing and selling small specialty lots—more Ecuadorians are opening specialty cafes.

In 2019, Marmol opened Tayta Wasi, a cafe on a busy storefront-lined street in Otavalo that serves Jijon’s coffee and specializes in cappuccinos, despite the availability of cheaper alternatives across the border. Six years later, Otavalo still lacks a strong morning coffee culture, so his cafe stays open well into the afternoon, catering to social coffee drinkers who flock in for meetings and after work. The rise of specialty coffee shops reflects the global growth of the country’s specialty farms, even as they compete with entrenched preferences for guayusa—a traditional, highly caffeinated, tea-like beverage from the Amazon—and the widespread presence of instant coffee in homes and restaurants.

While Marmol addresses the increasing interest in specialty coffee, promoting his higher-priced offerings remains a challenge due to the dominance of the affordable soluble industry and competition from Colombia, where locals know coffee is cheaper. Visitors to Tayta Wasi often request Colombian coffee, which is not offered, reminding Marmol of the ongoing effort needed to elevate Ecuador’s specialty scene.

In Quito, which Marmol describes as somewhat more cosmopolitan, the coffee scene is vibrant, featuring new specialty roasters and cafes where locals gather and foreigners work on their laptops and read. Without a governmental coffee body, much industry knowledge remains privately held. Less than a decade ago, it was difficult for locals to find cafes in this seemingly big-small valley town, where everything tends to close early.

Norberto Vásquez, a former psychologist turned Barista Hustle coach from Quito, drank instant coffee until he opened a cafe in the 2010s. He now runs the Barista Training Center (BTC), one of the capital’s key educational hubs for coffee knowledge. There, he provides the resources he wished he had while seeking to deepen his expertise before opening his cafe. In 2017, he travelled to Colombia to expand his knowledge. Today, many of his former students, including Marmol, serve his Ecuador-sourced coffee in their cafes, creating a ripple effect of knowledge sharing.

Keeping Ecuador’s coffee local strengthens the industry and helps its talent avoid complications from international factors like tariffs. Most BTC students come from across Ecuador, as well as Peru, Colombia, and even the US, often starting with little coffee knowledge. Some young Ecuadorians enrol in affordable classes with aspirations of taking their barista skills to Australia. This trend raises concerns among the country’s coffee leaders and ageing producers that the next generation may continue abandoning the industry or seek opportunities elsewhere.

The rise of cafes in cities from Quito and Loja to Guayaquil marks a shift in Ecuador’s coffee market, moving consumer—and producer—preferences from instant coffee to specialty brews. This change reflects a trend in producers’ heirs leaving rural areas for urban life, contributing to an ageing workforce on farms. A notable example is Coffee Relief, a naturally lit and curated specialty cafe that opened in 2022 outside Quito. The cafe showcases its rapid success within its unique space, adorned with accolades from Sprudge. This blocky, white-and-green roastery-cafe also functions as a training lab, serving Ecuadorian coffees alongside a pour-over menu inspired by Portland, Oregon. Over the past five years, new specialty coffee consumers have flocked to hubs like Coffee Relief, Vásquez’s BTC, and Quito’s Wolfpack Coffee Lab and Roaster, managed by Julissa Peña.

While instant coffee remains popular in Ecuadorian households, efforts to enhance coffee culture have emerged, including Ecuador’s first AeroPress Championship in 2016 and the Cup of Excellence in 2021. Buenaño, the Brewers Cup champion, credits the growth of the country’s coffee culture to individuals like Marmol—and himself—who travelled abroad, experienced other countries' coffee traditions, and returned home with fresh perspectives. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, many local baristas were from other Latin American nations. Now, this is changing; more young Ecuadorians are now taking up roles behind the bar, often after attending workshops led by Peña and Vasquez.

Buenaño, like Legarda of Witoca in Ecuador’s Amazon, hails from a family of robusta farmers. His family produces robusta near the coast and still prefers instant coffee. Legarda grew up drinking dark, pan-roasted coffee laden with sugar. When he brings his specialty robusta from the shaded jungle to his parents, they still prefer it pan-roasted—a choice he finds humorously undrinkable but accepts. Both Buenaño and Legarda have overcome the challenges of sustaining intergenerational coffee production in Ecuador. During the Covid-19 pandemic, in a part of the Amazon where locals feel neglected by the government, Legarda opened a cafe in Witoca. There, ‘farm to table’ takes on a literal meaning, as everything from harvesting coffee cherries to processing, roasting, grading, and brewing happens on Witoca’s biodiverse grounds, where various species grow alongside the coffee, countering the trend of monocropping.

‘People said, “Who (would) come to drink coffee here? No one drinks coffee in the Amazon.” But then,’ Legarda recalled, ‘people started coming and drinking coffee because they appreciated the quality of the coffee.”