The Farm
Behind every coffee crop is a farm with a family and a story. This is Grace’s.
Finca Cruz Loma received its name when there were no paved roads to let you access the farm in Ecuador. Two routes, taken only by foot or hoof, intersected across the farmland, creating a cross that could be seen for miles. Thus, it was dubbed Cruz Loma or “cross hill.” Three generations of the Morales family have run the farm since its inception, each with their own contributions to the business. A significant time after its start, the farm continued to be without a suitable road system, making it difficult to transport the new machinery that the second generation wanted to start implementing in the processing system. This didn’t stop progress from being made, though. After bringing in each machine, piece by piece, and reassembling them on the property, Finca Cruz Loma was the first farm in the area to use machinery to do what was once done only by hand.
Coffee is important to the Morales family but takes up less than 2% of their crops; the rest of their 350-hectare farm is dedicated to many other fruits and vegetables. The neighboring plants also play a part in the coffee cultivation. Cedar and plantain trees provide natural shade for the coffee and add to the terroir, the unique characteristic given to the coffee based on the particular environment it was grown in. This year’s lot is made up of Sidra and Typica Mejorado varieties, both cultivated in the Pichincha Province of Northern Ecuador. In recent years, they have been gaining notoriety for their unique sensory profiles.
The third and current generation to run the farm is led by Grace Morales Flores. Grace takes a special interest in the processes used on the farm, striving to cultivate new and different flavor profiles. This coffee crop is a washed process, and combined with the varieties, lead to notes of white grape, gooseberry, and wildflower honey with a juicy, but delicate body.
When brewed as a pour over on a Kalita Wave, using a 1:16 ratio, you can expect a light, juicy body. A minimal amount of agitation during the bloom, such as a simple swirl, will give you a much more balanced cup with a longer finish, highlighting the floral essence.
