An introduction to the history of coffee in Ecuador

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Coffee arrived in Manabi province in Ecuador only around 1860, then spread throughout the region, and began exporting to Europe from Manta port in 1905. Ecuador is one of the few countries where Arabica and Robusta are grown.

When pests hit cocoa trees in the 1920s, many farmers turned their attention to coffee. Coffee exports began to take off in 1935, and the production of 220,000 bags increased to 1.8 million bags in 1985. The global coffee crisis of the 1990s inevitably reduced domestic production. In 2011, annual production recovered to about 1 million bags. Coffee was Ecuador's main export cash crop until the 1970s, but it was later replaced by oil, shrimp and bananas.

Ecuadorians consume more instant coffee than fresh coffee. Interestingly, because Ecuadorian coffee production costs are not low, instant coffee manufacturers must import from Vietnam rather than use local coffee.

Ecuadorian coffee quality reputation is not high, one of the reasons is that 40% of the total production is Robusta, most Ecuadorian coffee export quality is relatively low. To keep costs down, many beans are harvested after drying in trees or yards, a process known locally as café en bola. This type of coffee is often used to make instant coffee, and 83% of the country's export coffee is solarized. Colombia is one of the main importers because instant coffee makers in Colombia are willing to pay higher prices than local Ecuadorian traders. This is because the Colombia coffee brand is strong in the export market and therefore relatively expensive.

Although coffee has a long history in Ecuador, it is only now that people are beginning to think that coffee here has great potential. There are absolutely excellent geographical conditions and climate to produce high-quality coffee, and it remains to be seen whether the investment in the specialty coffee industry in recent years will improve the overall quality of coffee in Ecuador in the future.

Ecuador is one of the few countries in the world that can produce two coffee varieties at the same time. One of them is arabica. It has a higher acidity and is used to make fine coffee. Another variety is Robusta coffee, which has a stronger flavor and is mainly used in instant coffee powder.