Meliponas

In the south of Ecuador, we find the canton of Puyango in the province of Loja. It is a place with an important history due to its indigenous culture, los Paltas, which fought bravely the Inca empire, but they were also known for it’s agriculture. This has translated to today, as Puyango is known for its specialty coffee production. Something that makes it stand out and in general the farms of this area, is the integral management. There is almost no use of fertilizers and coffee growers tend to use organic compost for their coffee trees, using either the leftovers of pruning or pulping which has abundant organic material. Another important aspect of the coffee producers in this area and hence the name of the brand, Meliponas, is their production of honey. They use meliponas, a type of bee which doesn’t have a sting, which makes them easier to handle allowing them to have the beehives in the coffee parcels and near the houses. These producers have also created an association with the same name, Meliponas, dedicated to the commercialization of the honey which helps them in having another income. Even, the canton of Puyango declared the bees as National Heritage in September of 2019. This bees feed from the coffee flowers and help with the pollination of the coffee and fruit trees in the farms.

“Meliponas is a coffee with notes berry, citrus and orange blossom, sweet and balanced with a silky body.”