Along the highlands that surround Ecuador’s main city of Quito, you can find some quality-minded coffee growers. One such producer is Ricardo Vargas with his farm Vallejito. Ricardo’s journey in coffee started several years back when he was working as a food engineer in the private sector. He was always asked by his father-in-law to help with the processing and tree plantation of his coffee farm. This, along with his father-in-law’s ideals of creating jobs in rural areas through coffee and recognizing the potential of specialty coffee, ignited Ricardo’s passion and desire to have his own farm.
Seven years ago, Ricardo decided to start his own farm with his wife and named it in memory of his late father-in-law. Since its inception, Ricardo has been committed to specialty coffee and meticulous attention to detail. For example, when processing coffee, he keeps records of temperature and brix grades to achieve the right fermentation, and subsequently dries the coffee for 3 to 4 weeks for slow drying that allows the flavors to develop. For Ricardo, specialty coffee means taking extra care and constantly improving the infrastructure, such as drying stations and wet mill, and carefully selecting the right trees for shade. This attention to detail has resulted in increased income and a better quality of life for his family.
Ricardo takes great pride in what he has built with his family and the recognition his coffee has gained worldwide. His current challenge is to maintain profitability and quality while striving to increase the area of coffee cultivation, plant some sidra variety, and renew 30% of the crop.
