ECUADOR FINCA ARASHI NATURAL

Finca Arashi is located in Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador, and is managed by Abel Salinas, a 58-year-old, first-generation coffee grower and fifth out of twelve siblings. The farm sits at an elevation of 1,890 m.a.s.l. and consists of 7 hectares of land, and around 22,000 coffee trees in production and the majority of the production being the exotic Typica Mejorado. However, Abel also grows some Sidra and F1 Hybrid.

Abel’s parents were farmers for as long as he can remember. He grew up surrounded by fertile lands, but also around adversities, which his family always overcame together (values that he carries with him nowadays). 

Working as a miner in the Costa region around the year 2000, he had to return to his natal farm due to a surgical intervention, where he dabbled into cattle and fruit production. It wasn’t soon after, encouraged by the success of a local producer, that he planted his first coffee trees — February 2016 to be exact, he remembers — and from there, it became the canonic event into his specialty coffee quest.

The rest is history and nowadays Abel Salinas is renowned in the region of Loja, winning Ecuador’s 2021 Cup of Excellence!F

For the F1 Hybrid Natural lot, the coffee is hand-selected at its ripest, dry-fermented for 48 hours, and placed to dry for 20-25 days. 

The lot is dried with constant movement to ensure an even drying process until it reaches around 10% moisture content.

We love Ecuadorian coffees for their floral sweetness and tropical notes. In the last few years we have brought in several Ecuadorian coffees from The Coffee Quest and they have been standouts for us. This natural lot is clean and smooth, with a rich strawberry sweetness.