Yuri del Carmen Prado

Yuri is a passionate and eager producer. She lives on her farm with her husband, Hugo Cueva, and their children. Both come from coffee-producing families, but there was a time when they moved to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, to build their life there. However, it didn’t last long. After 5 years of living in the capital, in 2006, they decided to head back to Puyango to start their coffee farm in the parroquia of Ciano. For Yuri and her husband, coffee is what they love, and it is their passion.

During those first years, their coffee was sold to the local market as conventional coffee. However, in 2018, they delved into the production of high-quality coffee, becoming one of the first in the area to do so. Since then, they have acquired new knowledge, such as fermentation methods and drying techniques, with the advice of the PECA technician. For Yuri, their motivation has been seeing the beautiful coffee trees and the prices they have been able to secure due to their good-quality coffee.

Regarding the next steps, Yuri wants to improve some areas of the farm, such as the drying and wet mill space, and build a water filtration system for wastewater. Besides coffee, they also have cattle and chickens on the farm, along with some beehives for honey production.

At the farm, they follow the phases of the moon to determine when to carry out tasks in the crop. For example, when the moon reaches the new moon phase, they stop any agricultural activity for 5 days because, according to tradition, continuing would damage the tree and affect production.

Yuri and her husband start the process for their coffee with selective cherry picking. The cherries are then taken to the wet mill on the farm, where they are pulped and left to ferment in tanks with water for 36 hours. Following these steps, the coffee is washed and moved to the drying area, covered by two-level raised beds. Here, the coffee first goes into the bottom level, which is more shaded and lasts for about 3 days to drain the excess liquid. Then, it is moved to the top bed, with more direct sunlight, and it will take from 10 to 15 days to be ready, depending on the climate.