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Finca Velez has over 200 years of history in Azuay, Ecuador. Although sections of the farm have been sold off, Juan and his family still own and operate 25 acres of the original land.
Besides growing coffee, Juan is also a distinguished rose farmer who exports 10 million roses every year. He has worked hard to improve the farm’s infrastructure and agricultural practices. This is our second year purchasing Juan’s Sidra and the seeds for this coffee actually came from a well-established coffee producer in Ecuador, Juan Pena, who owns and runs Hacienda La Papaya.
Juan is very focused on good post-harvest processes. After the cherries are picked, they are rinsed to clean, and hand-selected for ripeness then dried in a temperature-controlled drying room where shade, humidity, airflow and temperature are controlled. Cherries are turned on the drying tables at least once daily. Then, they are sent to Juan Pena’s exporting arm, CafExporto for testing and packaging.
All of these efforts are represented in this natural Sidra, which is super sweet and vibrant with a rich mouthfeel. Sidra is a hybrid of red Bourbon and Typica, and one of its varietal traits is a red-fruit driven acidity. You’ll find that here, coupled with a sweetness brought forward by Juan’s processing.
