Producer: Pepe Jijon & Francisco Vintimilla Farm: Finca Del Putushio Location: Loja Province, Ecuador Variety: Typica Mejorado Process: Classic Washed Altitude: 2,222 masl Fermentation ▪▫▫▫▫ Sweetness ▪▪▪▪▫ Acidity ▪▪▪▪▫ Roast ▪▪▫▫▫ Fincas del Putushio in Loja, Ecuador is the newest brainchild of Seven Summiteer and first generation specialty coffee producer Jose Ignacio “Pepe” Jijon, whose initial foray into coffee production is the acclaimed Finca Soledad Intag. Pepe is esteemed as the first South American to have climbed the highest peak of each continent. It was a feat in tribute to his homeland, Ecuador, aiming to inspire the youth to make their country proud through pursuits demonstrating reverence for nature, perseverance, and determination. In the world of coffee, his humility, vision, and tenacity are admired, as he sought the counsel of Best of Panama producers and has persisted in coffee farming amid overlapping socio-economic challenges in the country's agricultural sector. Focused on artisanal production of rare varieties — Geisha, Sidra, and Typica Mejorado — mindfully processed into “irreplicable expressions of time and space,” in Pepe’s own words, he aspires to enduringly achieve the same aims as when he conquered the Seven Summits. Typica Mejorado is a consistently high-ranking variety in the Ecuador Cup of Excellence. It was first recognized on a wider global scale in 2023 when a Typica Mejorado produced by Pepe Jijon out of his first farm, Finca Soledad, was showcased by the Taiwan National Barista Champioand finished admirably as Top 4 in the World Barista Championship. As a variety that reportedly first emerged from the country and its proven potential for exquisite, competition-caliber cup profiles, it is widely regarded as a promising flagbearer for Ecuador’s rising stature in the upmarket specialty coffee niche. Pepe Jijon’s philosophical approach to coffee cultivation and processing emanates from his deeply personal respect for and understanding of the silent language of nature. These have led him to realize that the most exquisite, terroir-driven attributes of his farm’s rare varieties are best revealed by gently modulating post-harvest processing variables, such as temperature, time, and pressure, amid the existing weather conditions.