Far up in the northern parts of Ecuador, hidden in the remaining cloud forests of the Intag Valley in the Imbabura province, lies Finca Soledad, Pepe Jijon’s first coffee farm. What started out as a reforestation project ended up as being one of the most reputed specialty coffee farms of the past 5 years. Finca Soledad stands out as an exception. No more than 100 coffee farms are left in this valley where until recently there were still about 1000. Illegal mining activities are rapidly transforming these once lush cloud forests into an industrial area. A cloud forest is a high-altitude ecosystem (in Soledad’s case, 1500 masl) where low clouds hang around in forests year round, and it is this geographical setting, along with Jijon’s deep understanding of soil and product, that creates the unique profile of what people have come to associate with and appreciate in his coffees. This coffee was sourced through our importing partner Makicuna.