Ecuador
Ecuador is a unique spot for coffee in South America. Furthermore, most coffee here comes from family-run farms rather than giant industrial estates. Farmers tend small plots under the shade of native trees, growing their coffee alongside everyday food crops. In addition, Ecuador has active volcanic soil, high elevation, and consistent equatorial sunshine. Consequently, this environment allows the coffee cherries to mature slowly, creating deep natural sugars, balanced acidity, and spice notes that you do not often find in neighbouring countries.Loja
Most coffee here comes from family-run farms rather than giant industrial estates. Farmers tend small plots under the shade of native trees, growing their coffee alongside everyday food crops. Ecuador has active volcanic soil, high elevation, and consistent equatorial sunshine. This environment allows the coffee cherries to mature slowly, creating deep natural sugars, balanced acidity, and spice notes that you do not often find in neighbouring countries.
Loja
Loja sits in the far south of Ecuador and hosts some of the highest coffee farms in the country. Specifically, the Puyango region features rolling hills, green valleys, and fresh mountain streams like the Saraguallas and Santa Ana rivers. These streams meet to form the Puyango River, thereby supplying plenty of water to the surrounding land.
Moreover, farms in Puyango sit between 1,000 and 1,800 metres above sea level. Warm days and cool nights force the fruit to ripen slowly on the branch. Meanwhile, farmers grow their coffee trees under the shade of guabo, cedar, plantain, and citrus trees. This natural cover shields the plants from harsh sunlight and also feeds nutrients back into the soil. As a result, the coffee tastes remarkably clean, with a gentle balance of nuts and warm spices..
Altos de Saraguallas
Altos de Saraguallas is a community blend made by second and third-generation families farming near the Saraguallas lagoons. Generally, these families manage small plots averaging around two hectares of coffee land. They mix traditional farming with simple environmental practices, such as treating their wastewater and keeping bees on the side.
Additionally, this lot relies on Sarchimor, Acauá, and Castillo varieties picked between May and August. Caravela initially selects these lots through their PECA programme before cupping them again at the main Ecuadorian hub. Afterwards, the team separates the lots by quality. Because we offer an AA lot, this coffee scores between 83.5 and 85 points.
Processing
Processing begins with selective manual harvesting, where farmers pick only fully mature, red cherries. The cherries go to on-farm wet mills, where farmers float them in water tanks to separate low-density or defective fruit. Next, a pulping machine removes the outer skin.
The mucilage-covered seeds ferment for 24 to 72 hours, with several producers utilizing sealed GrainPro bags for controlled anaerobic fermentation. Workers then wash the parchment coffee twice with clean spring water to remove all remaining fruit residue.
The clean parchment dries in the sun on parabolic covered patios and raised beds for roughly 18 days until it reaches the target moisture level. After resting on the farm for a week, the coffee undergoes physical defect checks and sensory evaluation at local buying stations before final dry-milling and export packaging in Quito.
Specifications
Details of this coffee
| Region | Puyango Canton, Loja Province, Ecuador |
| Farmers | Smallholder family producers (Altos de Saraguallas collective) |
| Cultivars | Arabica (Major: Sarchimor, Castillo. Minor: Acauá) |
| Altitude | 1,000 – 1,800 masl |
| Processing | Washed process (24–72 hour fermentation); sun-dried on raised beds and parabolic patios for 18 days |
| Packaging | GrainPro lined jute bags |
| Characteristics | Cocoa, warm spice and white sugar sweetness. As it cools citrus fruit notes come forward. As it ages nutty notes start to appear. Medium plus mouth feel. |
| Profile used | What we call our classic bump and kick roast with small slowing at the end of the roast. |
| Roast Degree | Light |
Our brews:
| Brew Method | Ratio | Brew Method | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Espresso | 1:2.1 (26 sec) when older than a week drop extraction time | AeroPress | 17.5g:200g (coarser) – grind finer as the coffee ages. | |
| Plunger | 48g:800g | Pour over/filter | 18g:300g (40sec bloom, 3.3 total brewing time). Once 2 weeks old decrease bloom time. |
Transparency Information
| Producer / Organisation | Altos de Saraguallas via Caravela |
|---|---|
| FOB price | $12.5 |
| Cupping score | 84.5 (Caravela) |
| Lot size bought | 2 x 69 kg GrainPro bag. |
| Relationship | This is the second time we have offered a coffee from this co-operative. |
Region: Farmers: Cultivars: Major: Sarchimor, Castillo. Minor: Acauá Altitude: 1,000 – 1,800 metres above sea level Processing: Washed process (24–72 hour fermentation); sun-dried on raised beds and parabolic patios for 18 days Packaging: GrainPro lined jute bags Characteristics: Roasted hazelnut, warm nutmeg spice, almond, cocoa finish; medium body with balanced, clean acidity Roast Profile: Medium-light filter or espresso profile Roast Degree: Light to Medium-Light
Sources
- Caravela Coffee (https://caravela.coffee) — Farm level data, origin story, elevation, cultivars, processing details, and drying methods for Altos de Saraguallas in Loja, Ecuador.
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