Martha Calderon owns and operates Finca Montehuaico located in the Loja region of Ecuador. This area is ideal for the production of specialty coffee. Temperatures during the day are warm and temperate and during the night cool air descends from the mountains creating an environment in which coffee thrives. The farm has a total area of 13 hectares, 5 of which are planted with coffee trees at a density of approximately 3,000 trees per hectare. After being picked at maturity, the coffee is pulped the same day and placed directly on raised drying beds to be dried. Throughout the drying process, which takes an average of 21 to 30 days, the coffee is moved frequently to ensure even drying throughout the batch.