HIGHLAND COLLECTION

Whole Bean Coffee

[EK-WUH-DOOR • MUH-POO-TOW]

Process: Washed

Floral, Caramel, Melon

Grown on the Maputo Farm in La Perla Ecuador by Henry and Verena Gaibor, who met in Burundi while volunteering during a humanitarian crisis. They returned to Ecuador to pursue their other passion — coffee!

Floral and delicate cup with notes of melon and caramel.

The farm Maputo is owned by Henry Gaibor and his wife, Verena. They operate a micromill and control their own wet-milling and drying. The couple has a very interesting, somewhat dramatic backstory, also having to do with medicine: They met in Bujumbura, Burundi, in 1996 when they were both volunteering for Doctors Without Borders: Henry is a veteran war-trauma surgeon from Ecuador, and Verena is a war nurse from Switzerland, and they met in the field during a humanitarian crisis in Burundi. In 1998, the two of them returned to Henry's home country of Ecuador, where they managed a clinic in Quito for 13 years before deciding to devote their time, energy, and resources to another passion—coffee. Henry is extremely methodical and just as dedicated to his coffee production as he used to be about his medical profession, and Verena's management skills clearly show her training and efficiency as a nurse under extreme pressure. Together, they are doing everything right when it comes to picking, processing, and drying coffees, Piero Cristiani says the Gaibors are producing "some of the best coffees I have ever tasted." The Gaibors grow several different varieties, which are clearly divided and marked on their properties: They grow Typica, Bourbon, SL-28, Sidra, Kaffa, and Caturra. Henry and Verena produce their coffee in La Perla, Nanegal, which is in the province of Pichincha, relatively close to the border of Colombia. The area where the farms are located has a specific microclimate: Even though it's relatively low altitude for Ecuador around 1,350 meters, humidity is high and a visitor often sees mist hovering over the coffee fields in the afternoons. It becomes much cooler at night, as well, and the unique combination of characteristics gives their coffees a very special quality.