Sidra
Boost Natural
Hacienda Santa Gertrudis

Tastes Like: Beaujolais, Guava, Purple Florals

Origin: Hacienda Santa Gertrudis, Loja, Ecuador

Variety: Sidra

Producer: José Luis Eguiguren

Elevation: 1,600-1,700 masl

Process:  Boost Natural

Farm and Producer

José Luis Eguiguren develops specialty coffee at his family's Hacienda Santa Gertrudis in Malacatos, Loja. Alongside its own variety plantings, the farm's milling facilities support neighboring growers with processing and export preparation.

Variety

Sidra is an Arabica selection associated with specialty production in Ecuador and also cultivated elsewhere in Latin America. Genetic studies have placed tested Sidra material in the Ethiopian genetic group. It is valued for cup-quality potential, with cultivation and processing shaping the expression of each lot.

Processing

Ripe, sorted Sidra cherries ferment in stainless-steel tanks for 72 hours, reaching pH 4.0. Drying begins on the lowest, least exposed level of a three-tier tray system.

The producer pauses drying twice: first with two weeks in vacuum packaging after the initial week, then with two weeks in GrainPro bags after a further week on the middle trays. The coffee returns to the top trays to finish drying. This staged preparation is called Boost Natural.