Ecuador's Smallholder Coffees Get Their Moment: The First Farmers Collection Auction
On March 26, 36 lots from Ecuadorian smallholder farmers go to auction in what organizers are calling the first Private Collection Auction for the country’s specialty coffee sector. Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) developed the program together, bringing the same methodology that shaped the successful Best of Yemen series to Ecuador’s diverse growing regions.
The top lot — a Geisha from Andres Yepez’s Hosteria Canavalle farm in Imbabura province — scored 90.13 points. It grows at 2,140 meters, the kind of altitude where Geisha thrives, developing the delicate florals and stone fruit notes the variety is known for.
The Setup
Ecuador hasn’t had this kind of platform before. Smallholders here often produce specialty-grade coffee in small volumes, but lack direct connections to the international market. The Farmers Collection aims to change that equation — an open auction format that puts exceptional coffees in front of buyers who pay premiums for quality.
The international jury that evaluated these lots was substantial: cuppers from 19 countries, including representatives from Blue Bottle Coffee, George Howell Coffee, and Kaffebrenneriet. Having that level of international credibility attached to the scores matters when you’re launching a new program.
The Regions
The auction features coffees from across Ecuador’s producing geography:
Loja — Ecuador’s traditional coffee heartland in the south, where altitude and climate have supported coffee cultivation since the 19th century.
Zamora Chinchipe — Amazonian slopes in the southeast, where rainforest microclimates produce distinctive cup profiles.
Pichincha — Central highlands near Quito, including high-altitude farms pushing above 2,000 meters.
Imbabura — Northern Ecuador, home to the Yepez farm’s record-scoring Geisha.
The variety list reads like a specialty coffee wish list: Geisha, Sidra, Bourbon, and Typica Mejorado all appear among the 36 ranked entries. Sidra, a hybrid that’s become increasingly popular in Colombian specialty production, shows up across multiple lots — evidence that Ecuadorian farmers are following variety trends that command premiums.
Why This Matters
Ecuador sits between Colombia and Peru, two countries with established specialty coffee reputations. But Ecuadorian coffee has historically flown under the radar, often absorbed into blends or sold as commodity grade despite the growing conditions that could support specialty production.
The Private Collection format — developed by Qima Coffee and ACE — represents an effort to build sustainable, profitable specialty coffee enterprises by connecting smallholders directly with international buyers. Rather than selling through intermediaries at commodity prices, these farmers can see their coffees evaluated, scored, and bid on by roasters worldwide.
Qima has been working in Ecuador since establishing operations alongside their Colombian and Yemeni programs. The company emphasizes what they call equitable business practices — pricing that reflects quality and creates incentives for farmers to invest in processing and variety selection.
For the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, this represents an expansion of their auction methodology beyond the Cup of Excellence program that’s run in 11 countries. The Private Collection model allows for more tailored approaches to emerging origins.
The Auction
Bidding opens March 26. The lot list, scores, and variety information are available through ACE’s auction portal. Roasters who participate get access to traceable, scored coffees from an origin that’s been building quietly but hasn’t had this kind of spotlight.
For coffee enthusiasts watching specialty auction prices, Ecuador’s entry into this market could mean more variety in what shows up on roasters’ offerings. A 90-point Geisha from Imbabura carries a different story than Panamanian Geisha — same variety, different terroir, different producer, and likely a different price point.
The Ecuador Farmers Collection isn’t trying to compete with established auction origins. It’s trying to give smallholders who’ve been producing excellent coffee in relative obscurity a path to the buyers who’ll pay for it.