Tasting notes: toffee apple and strawberry
Producer Group: Los Romerillos
Producer: five small-scale producers: Nercy, Gabriela, Vilma, Carlos and Elvia
Location: Zumba, Zamora, Ecuador
Elevation: 1,600–1,900 masl
Variety: Caturra, Bourbon, Typica
Process: Washed
Sourcing: Caravela
In the highlands of Zumba, near the Peruvian border, lies the small canton of Los Romerillos—named for the native trees that once sustained the local economy through timber sales. A few years ago, a group of families in the area transitioned from wood to coffee, planting roots in a new agricultural future while retaining the name Los Romerillos as a link to their past.
The five producers contributing to this lot (Nercy, Gabriela, Vilma, Carlos and Elvia) grow their coffee under the shade of native trees, plantain, and guaba, cultivating on small farms at elevations between 1,600 and 1,900 metres above sea level. Each farm processes its coffee independently using micro-mills, where cherries are depulped and fermented in cement tanks for 18–24 hours before being washed and slowly dried on shade-covered patios.
Zumba is also home to the Bracamoros Coffee Fair, an annual event celebrating the region’s finest producers. Named after the original Indigenous inhabitants of the area, the fair has become a key driver of specialty coffee in Zamora—encouraging quality and spotlighting both organic and conventional coffees.
Los Romerillos is a testament to resilience and reinvention—where a timber town turned coffee community is producing beautifully clean, expressive lots shaped by altitude, biodiversity, and care.
