Saraguro Mejorado Washed

Saraguro is one of Loja's most significant coffee cantons — and one of the least visible internationally. Sitting in the northern part of the province, the area is known primarily as the home of the Saraguro people, an indigenous Kichwa community with a continuous agricultural presence in the Andean highlands dating back centuries. Coffee here grows at elevations between 1,700 and 2,100 masl on the slopes of the Cordillera Occidental, where clay-loam soils with good organic matter, 12-hour days, and pronounced day-to-night temperature swings produce conditions that encourage the slow accumulation of sugars in the cherry.
The Saraguro Formation — the geological layer that underlies much of this part of Loja — drains into the Pacific basin, creating a distinct soil and water profile compared to the Amazonian-influenced landscapes of Zamora Chinchipe just to the east. Farms here tend to be small and steep, worked largely by family labour, and historically oriented toward subsistence before the specialty market began to take notice. Hacienda La Papaya, one of Ecuador's most internationally recognised farms, is located just outside Saraguro — it effectively put the area on the map for specialty buyers and has shaped expectations for what high-altitude Saraguro coffee can produce.This Typica Mejorado lot from the Quirín sector, at 1,950 masl, follows a Washed process with fermentation between 24 and 48 hours and extended drying under the naturally low humidity of the highland climate. Rose, lychee, and vanilla: altitude-driven floral precision that is the hallmark of this elevation band in Saraguro.