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Ecuador Coffee Origin Guide: Regions, History & Flavor Profile

Ecuador produced roughly 0.2% of global production at 355,000 60kg bags in 2024. Robusta makes up roughly 55% of the country’s production. Ecuador imports more green coffee than it exports and, with high consumption figures in part due to strong local and tourist consumption, but the primary destination for imported green coffee is soluble (instant) coffee production. Through soluble coffee, Ecuador substantially increases its export volumes (80%) and revenue. 

Washed mild arabica coffees are readily available from Ecuador, but you can find very small amounts of experimental style processing, and there are some famous producers from the region known for their pristine cup quality. Due to the country nationalizing the dollar and high labor cost other economic factors, coffee from Ecuador is frequently more expensive than other South American countries.  

History

History

One of the few South American countries that produce both Arabica and Robusta coffee, coffee was brought to Ecuador by Spanish colonists in 1860, and they began exporting coffee in the early 20th century. Growth of the coffee industry increased alongside cacao production in the country during the early 20th century. There was a steady decline in production through the 1980’s and 90’s due to the C market crash and general economic recession. Coffee prices were so low that much of the coffee was left unharvested.  

In January of 2000, Ecuador adopted the U.S dollar as its legal tender in an attempt to stabilize the economy. As a result, the country’s ties to the US economy caused the price of goods and labor to increase. This is one of the baseline reasons that Ecuadorian coffee is more expensive. Tourism also plays a part in high prices; Galapagos, UNESCO heritage sites, adventure sports, and culinary experiences bring in millions of visitors every year. Domestic coffee roasting brands also contribute to high prices for exportable coffee.  

ecuador coffee growing regions

Regions

There are a few main coffee growing regions. Manabi produces about 50% of the country’s coffee. Because of its low altitude, the region does not produce the best coffees available. 

Pichincha, close to the capital, has a diverse landscape and, although it doesn’t produce a lot of coffee, the quality coming out of the region is often excellent. The province is known for the most elite and prosperous coffee farmers.  

Loja is on the southernmost point of the country and due to its geographic location, most of its coffee is highly focused on quality, but is often susceptible to extreme weather patterns. Altitudes here can reach up to 2,100m and around 20% of arabica comes from this region. Loja is also a smallholder coffee economy, mirroring northern Peru, with small farms, migrant labor with Peru’s porous border, lots of exceptional coffee but not very strong supply chains for optimizing it. Also, a source for most of Ecuador’s organic coffee.   

Zamora Chinchipe is another region east of Loja, which also has great elevation, up to 1900m. It produces a small amount of the country’s arabica production but organic cultivation is very common in this region. 

Cultivars

Cultivars

Common arabica varities include Bourbon and Caturra, and a number of the country’s more famous estates are of course growing Gesha. Ecuador has also contributed at least two significant arabica varieties of its own: Sidra and Typica Mejorado, both rumored to have been developed by a now-defunct Nestle research project in Pinchincha. 

Sidra has become a sought-after variety for high-end roasters and in barista competitions, due to its unique flavors. There are conflicting narratives about its origins, with some growers claiming it is a Bourbon-Typica-Ethiopian landrace hybrid, and others indicating that genetic testing proves Sidra’s lineage is purely Ethiopian. There are even competing narratives for the origin of the “Sidra” moniker, with some claiming sensory similarities to apple cider and others citing the proximity of the original seedlings to citron trees (aka Citrus medica, which in Spanish is called “Sidra”). Nevertheless, regardless of its origins, the variety remains coveted for its high sensory quality potential. 

Typica Mejorado (“Improved” Typica) is almost exclusively grown in Ecuador (and a few farms in Colombia). As with Sidra, there is some confusion around its heritage. Information from some growers indicates that the variety is a hybrid of Typica and an unspecified Ethiopian landrace variety, however there are anecdotes indicating genetic testing concluding that Mejorado is a hybrid of Bourbon and an Ethiopian landrace, a claim shared but not elaborated upon by noted coffee geneticist Chrisophe Montagnon. It has been theorized that the “Typica” moniker may have originated because of morphological and sensory similarities to true Typica.  

Daily Coffee News offers some of the most detailed oral histories of both Typica Mejorado and Sidra, but the articles stop short of naming specific provenance. Despite claims of genetic verification, entries for Sidra and Typica Mejorado do not yet exist in the World Coffee Research Arabica variety catalog, likely due in part to the lack of a reliable identity—it's highly probable there are multiple variants of both cultivars grown by different farmers.

Processing Methods 

Washed mild arabica production is the norm for the country, with more sophisticated producers dabbling in anaerobic fermentation techniques for microlots of both washed and natural coffees. 

To remain competitively priced, the default processing method for robusta is typically natural processing and is known locally as café en bola.