Jorge Chuquimarca

In the south of Ecuador, you’ll find the province of Loja which sits on the western side of the sierra against Peru which gives it its unique climatic conditions. In this province, there is a canton on the named Quilanga, where Jorgue Chuquimarca has his coffee farm. His parents are coffee farmers, and this crop has been their main economic income. From them, he has learned everything he knows about coffee and remembers when he was 10 years old that his father gifted him a plot of land in the farm with 50 trees of Typica, which they call in Ecuador Criollo. Since then, he has been involved in the farm producing coffee and helping his parents, his life revolves around coffee. In 2012 there was a coffee leaf rust plague which decimated the Typica trees and so they planted Bourbon, Sarchimor and Typica Mejorada. It took three years for them to have coffee production again until 2015. His parents already passed away, so he was left with the farm where he lives with his wife Jhoana. His production is yet very traditional but hopes with the next years with his coffee to be able to improve his infrastructure as right now it’s very rudimental and he doesn’t have a drying parabolic covered area.