Coffee Cultivation in Ecuador: An Overview
Coffee cultivation in Ecuador holds significant economic, social, and environmental importance. The coffee industry provides income for coffee farmers, collectors, transporters, and marketers, as well as foreign exchange earnings that help stimulate the rural economy in producing regions. Additionally, coffee plays a crucial social role in Ecuador, involving diverse peoples and ethnicities, men and women of all ages and educational levels, in the processes of coffee production, processing, and marketing, as well as in job creation, especially during the harvest season. Coffee growers in 23 of the 24 provinces of the country form a broad social fabric with a substantial multisectoral impact.
The ecological importance of coffee in Ecuador lies in the diversity of soils where it is cultivated, mainly in rich agroforestry systems that significantly contribute to the conservation of phylogenetic resources, carbon sequestration, and water balance.
Ecuador Produces Coffee in 23 of its 24 Provinces
The exact origin of coffee in Ecuador is unknown, though most historians agree that it was introduced shortly after 1800. The first documented plantations date back to 1830, with the planting of Typica variety Arabica coffee plants in the Las Maravillas and El Mamey areas, in the canton of Jipijapa, Manabí province.
A century later, Robusta coffee arrived in the country. Its production began in 1951 at the Pichilingue Tropical Experimental Station in Quevedo, Los Ríos province.
Ecuador’s favorable agroecological conditions have enabled coffee cultivation across almost the entire country, making it one of the few places globally where coffee can be grown extensively. Tungurahua is officially the only province where coffee is not cultivated, although some small harvests are reported in the Baños canton.
Evolution of Ecuadorian Coffee
Decline in Area and Production
The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador conducted the First Coffee Census in 1983, led by the National Coffee Program. This census revealed that there were 426,965 hectares suitable for cultivation in the country, of which 346,971 hectares were coffee plantations in production (81%). According to the same record, there were 105,000 families of small coffee growers directly dependent on coffee production. Currently, although there are no updated statistics, the number of producer families has drastically decreased. Many have switched to other crops, replacing coffee plantations with pastures, cocoa, or forestry and fruit plantations. This decline in coffee growers has been accompanied by a significant reduction in the areas cultivated with coffee, which, according to the II Agricultural Census, decreased from 346,971 hectares in 1983 to 260,528 hectares in 2002, and now stands at only 60,000 hectares, according to data released by the National Association of Coffee Exporters (ANECAFÉ) in 2019.
Exports and Crisis
There is documented evidence of regular coffee exports from Ecuador since 1935. For instance, in 1950, the country exported 337,000 sacks, and in 1960, exports reached 552,000 sacks. In 1970, exports exceeded one million sacks, and in 1994, two million sacks. Until 2012, production maintained a steady growth rate, but a progressive decline began from that point, with consolidated data until 2018 reflecting this trend. During the 2012-2018 period, coffee production was affected by the lasting effects of several key events, such as the drought of 1996; the El Niño phenomenon in 1997-1998, which caused premature aging of coffee plants; the price crisis from 2000 to 2006; and more recently, the global coffee price crisis since 2016.
Currently, it appears that the production decline will be prominent once again this season. For example, ANECAFÉ estimates production for the 2018-2019 coffee year at 268,000 sacks of 60 kg (352,500 quintals of coffee beans), a quantity far below the 600,000 sacks initially estimated by the International Coffee Organization (ICO).
Increasing Domestic Demand
Global coffee consumption by region reached 161.4 million sacks from the 2014/2015 to 2017/2018 coffee year; additionally, the last year indicates an annual consumption increase of 3.3 million sacks of 60 kg. Consumption in South America represents 16.7% of the world’s coffee production, with Europe, Asia, and Oceania being the largest consumers. In Ecuador, according to ANECAFÉ, national demand in 2019 was 2,200,000 sacks of 60 kg, distributed as follows: 1,200,000 sacks for the soluble coffee industry; 800,000 sacks for coffee bean exporters; and 200,000 sacks for domestic consumption.
According to studies conducted in 2018 by LMC International Ltd., this last consumption is distributed into 2,700 tons of roasted and ground coffee and 4,300 tons of soluble coffee, reflecting an annual increase of 2% for these types of coffee and 10% for roasted coffee beans and ground coffee. Accepting ANECAFÉ’s estimated harvest for 2019 of 268,000 sacks, Ecuador’s coffee production deficit reaches 1,932,000 sacks of 60 kg, a situation of production and price crisis that undoubtedly requires a reorientation of Ecuador’s coffee sector.
Categorization of Ecuadorian Coffee
The categorization of Ecuadorian coffee is governed by the Ecuadorian Technical Standard NTE INEN 285:2006, which aims to establish the classification and requirements for green coffee beans. This standard, in addition to the obvious differentiation of coffee by species, includes other key elements such as cultivation altitude, processing method, and the physical and organoleptic characteristics to define and classify the coffee produced in this country.
By Cultivation Altitude:
- Strictly High Altitude Coffee: Grown in areas located above 1200 meters above sea level.
- High Altitude Coffee: Grown between 800 and 1200 meters above sea level.
- Standard Coffee: Grown in areas below 800 meters above sea level.
By Coffee Processing Method:
- Natural: When processed using the dry method.
- Washed: When processed using the wet method. Currently, washed coffee is also prepared using enzymatic wet and semi-wet (demucilaging equipment) methods.
- Semi-Washed: Also known as “honey” coffee, this method involves harvesting ripe fruits, pulping, drying with all mucilage, and milling.
By the Physical and Organoleptic Characteristics of the Bean:
Arabica Coffee:
- Grade 1 (Special Grade): Washed Arabica coffee beans from the current harvest, optimally wet processed, uniform in size, from high and strictly high altitudes, intensely fresh in smell, homogeneous in color, and with medium to high organoleptic quality.
- Grade 2 (Premium Grade): Washed Arabica coffee beans from the current harvest, well processed, from high or low-altitude areas, fresh in smell, uniform in size and color, and with above-average organoleptic quality. This coffee is known as “supremo” when the size of the bean retained above sieve 18 prevails.
- Grade 3 (Exchange Grade): Washed Arabica coffee beans from the current harvest, well prepared, fresh in smell, uniform in size and color, and with a defect-free cup.
- Grade 4 (Natural Arabica): Dry-processed Arabica coffee beans from the current harvest with a clean cup and free of foreign flavors.
Robusta Coffee:
- Grade 1 (Washed Robusta): Wet-processed Robusta coffee beans from the current harvest, large in size, with a clean cup and free of foreign flavors.
- Grade 2 (Natural Robusta A): Dry-processed Robusta coffee beans from the current harvest, large in size, with a clean cup and free of foreign flavors.
- Grade 3 (Natural Robusta B): Dry-processed Robusta coffee beans from the current harvest, small to medium in size, with a clean cup and free of foreign flavors.
