The exact producing area of the Ecuador SHB Loja BCS Organic is located in the Puyango district of the province Loja in the south of the highland on the border to Peru. 90% of Puyango region rest on an altitude between 800m and 2000 m above sea level. The climate is subtropical and the vegetation is manifold. The highland and the humid woods in Puyango feature optimal conditions for the cultivation of Arabica coffee under shade trees and provide the conversation of the biodiversity. The 680 small coffee farmers in Puyango have merged to an association with the name PROCAP “Asociacion Agroartesanal de Productores de Café Altura Puyango”. The farmed area has a size of 2500 ha and the yearly production is about 1,000 bags of 60 kg a year. PROCAP supports the cultivation of the Arabica type “Typica”, that is optimally adapted to the climatic conditions of the region, that demands only minimal fertilization and that is producing an excellent coffee. To maintain with organic criteria the farmers have developed an efficient compost production enabling natural nutrient to be returned to the ecosystem. The aim of the coffee farmers in Puyango is, to produce washed high-class Arabica in homogenous quality without destroying the surrounding ecosystem and to build a solid economic basis for their families in future.
