One of the key reasons why we launched the Global Coffee Roasters selection back in 2023 was to open a door to the rest of the world. To try and connect to roasters and producers who we might otherwise never get access to. I keep saying that there is a certain sense of monotony when it comes to multi-roaster cafés in many European cities. I often  come across the same roasters over and over again. How boring! That’s why it’s such a thrill to offer you something new and fresh with every Global roasters drop.

For the upcoming April 2025 edition, we’re going to team up with a name that has been getting some attention far beyond its home. Coffee Relief from Ecuador’s capital Quito is the 2024 winner of the ‘Most sustainable roaster’ Sprudgie Award and again in the running for this year’s awards. It was founded by Nardelia Espinoza, Juan Pablo Ortiz, Carolina Orti and Angeles Ortiz as a family business during the Covid pandemic and has since become a formidable player in the Ecuadorian specialty coffee industry.

From from its truly beautiful café/roastery/show room in Quito, Coffee Relief manages a growing number of direct relationships with farmers who are often only a few hours from the city’s perimeter. As a coffee producing origin, Ecuador is only the 20th biggest, far behind other regional heavyweights. This makes its coffees more difficult to find, especially in Europe where Ecuadorian coffees have little to no name recognition. This has, in large part, to do with Ecuador’s recent economic crisis, a lack of investment in coffee producing infrastructure and farming, and the curious fact that Ecuador also produces a relatively large amount of Robusta.

While Ecuador has plenty of coastline and is well connected to the rest of the world, its coffees don’t necessarily reach all corners of the globe. However, since the pandemic, there is a renewed interest in locally grown specialty coffee and roasters like Coffee Relief are doing their best to build a new image for Ecuador both domestically as well as internationally.

For its Coffeevine debut in April, Coffee Relief will roast for us a really delicious natural processed lot from producer Alex Augueras who is based in the Andes, the long mountain chain that runs from Colombia through Ecuador and all the way down to Chile. Coffee Relief was heavily involved in the processing of this coffee and has worked closely with producers like Alex to elevate the quality and cup scores of their lots.

To those in the know, Ecuadorian coffees are known for being sweet and complex with a full body and a lingering fruitiness. This coffee is a great showcase of these qualities.

To order this extraordinary coffee, visit our shop.