Finca Soledad is a stunning farm owned by Jose Ignacio Jijón, also known as Pepe. It is located 50 km north-west of Quito on the Andean slopes that form the Intag Valley and is surrounded by high mountains, dense biodiversity and the strong river Intag. Pepe has been producing coffee here since 2010 and the farm offers varieties like Typica Mejorado, Sidra and Gesha.
The climate in the area is warm and humid and has a high rainfall in rainy season. Most of the plantation grows partially shaded by tall trees, these keep the plants cool in the dry season and in the wet season allow plenty of air flow for the humidity not to damage the plants.
Before becoming a coffee farmer, Pepe was an experienced mountaineer and was the first Latin American to complete the ‘7 Summits Challenge’, which entails in climbing the highest peak in every continent. He also went on treacherous expeditions to Greenland, the north pole and south pole, and climbed several times the highest peaks in Ecuador as a mountain guide. He then decided to settle in Intag where he was introduced to coffee farming by the local coffee Cooperative. Since then his main focus has been producing high quality coffee.
Pepe transmits his adventurous character through coffee, he loves experimenting with different processes and every time he does it, he puts in all his passion.