Say Hello to our Season 6 Leaderboard Coffee! To say that we are pleased to have this coffee on our lineup is a wild understatement. This blue raspberry freezie, lime candy, peppery delight of a coffee came to us from our pals over at Forward Coffee Imports. Hacienda Santa Gertrudis has been in the family for over one hundred years, located south of the Ecuadorian Andes in the buffer zone of the Podocarpus National Park and just a few minutes away from Vilcabamba, a world famous location for its pleasan weather and longevity of it's inhabitants. Luis Emilio Eguiguren was the first to plant coffee in Hacienda Santa Gertrudis back in 1954. His son Luis Hernan Eguiguren grew up watching his father tend to the lands, and soon assumed this challenge. In these days, the sole production was focused on commercial coffee. Today, Jose Luis Eguiguren, the third generation of coffee producer at Hacienda Santa Gertrudis is focused solely on specialty coffee. The entire Hacienda sits on 60 hectares of land, of which 9 are currently planted with coffee. The varieties planted include Sidra, Gesha, SL28, Typica Mejorado, Yellow Catuai and Caturra. By turning the focus to specialty coffee since 2019, Jose Luis has been successful in connecting with likeminded coffee professionals who want to share the narrative of specialty coffee in their markets. Forward is proud to be one of the few distribution partners working with Hacienda Santa Gertrudis on an international level. Santa Gertrudis is a fully equipped wet and dry mill, able to process it's own coffee production as well as provide support and opportunity to neighbouring coffee producers. Jose Luis has supported the connection of many highly talented coffee producers who are focused on intentional coffees and regenerative agricultural practices. This support has resulted in increased economic stability throughout the local community nearby Vilcabamba and beyond.