Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Typica Mejorado (Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍓 Strawberries & Cream • 🍦 Vanilla • 🍇 Raisin • 🍫 Milk Chocolate

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Region: Saraguro, Loja, Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Natural
• Altitude: 1800–2200 MASL
• Harvest: September 2024
• Size: 283g (10oz)

INTRO

Juan Peña's Hacienda La Papaya has become one of the most recognised farms in Ecuadorian coffee, built on a deeply technical approach to cultivation, processing, and quality. Located in the Saraguro region of southern Ecuador, the farm sits between roughly 1,800 and 2,200 metres above sea level in a dry tropical Andean climate, with clay-loam soils and carefully managed growing conditions.

This Natural processed Typica Mejorado is an exceptionally indulgent expression of the farm's character — expect a lush, dessert-forward cup of strawberries and cream, dreamy vanilla sweetness, raisin depth, and a smooth milk chocolate finish that lingers long after the cup is empty.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Peña has become one of the defining producers in Ecuadorian specialty coffee. Trained in agronomy at the University of Cuenca, he has built Hacienda La Papaya around close measurement and control: custom fertiliser development, real-time soil moisture sensors, precision drip irrigation, meticulous pest and disease tracking, and a managed genetic bank and mother-plant programme for seed selection. The project began in 2009, with planting in 2010, and La Papaya is now recognised as an early pioneer of specialty production in the region.

That rigour extends well beyond the farm gate. Through CafExporto — the company Juan co-founded — he oversees the full chain from seed to shipment, with coffees described as "Juan Peña Certified" at every stage of production, processing, and export. The same farming and quality systems developed at La Papaya have been shared with partner farms across the region, helping broaden Ecuador's specialty coffee reputation internationally. Coffees from Hacienda La Papaya have been used in winning and top-placing routines at US barista and roasting competitions, and Juan has been recognised multiple times as one of the world's most notable coffee producers.

Onyx have worked with Juan for six years, and this Natural lot represents the full depth of what that long partnership has helped unlock — a level of processing precision that transforms the Typica Mejorado variety's natural sweetness into something truly extraordinary.

THE PROCESS

The Natural process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

• 🍒 Selective Hand-Picking — Only fully ripe, red cherries are selected; each day's picking is recorded and evaluated
• ✅ Sorting & Floating — Cherries are sorted for density and uniformity before processing begins
• ☀️ Whole-Cherry Raised-Bed Drying — Intact cherries are spread on raised beds, allowing the fruit to ferment and dry around the seed over several weeks
• 🌡️ Temperature & Humidity Monitoring — Environmental sensors track conditions throughout drying, with regular turning to ensure even airflow and moisture reduction
• 📅 Extended Rest — Cherries are dried until 10–12% moisture content is reached, allowing complex sugars and fruit esters to fully develop in the seed
• 🔧 Dry Milling & Export via CafExporto — Juan's own export infrastructure handles dry milling and shipment, maintaining traceability to the final stage

The result is a coffee of bold, fruit-forward sweetness and silky body — a testament to what precision natural processing can achieve at altitude in southern Ecuador.

THE CUP

Rich and indulgent, this Natural Typica Mejorado leads with vivid strawberries and cream, deepened by smooth vanilla sweetness and the concentrated dried-fruit complexity of raisin. A long milk chocolate finish adds weight and warmth, making this one of the most dessert-forward cups in the La Papaya portfolio. Exceptional on filter and compelling as a sweet, fruit-forward espresso.

Flavour Notes

• 🍓 Strawberries & Cream
• 🍦 Vanilla
• 🍇 Raisin
• 🍫 Milk Chocolate